Real-World Applications of Generative AI – Sales

Generative AI is revolutionizing various industries from art to medicine. Discovering its potential impact and current use cases is still at an early stage and I have being doing a bit of that under the AI tag. Generative AI describes algorithms (such as ChatGPT) that can be used to create new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, and videos. Recent new breakthroughs in the field have the potential to drastically change the way we approach content creation as well as business functions and productivity (my interest).

As I get to grips with ChatGPT and other AI tools, I’m going to be exploring the real world applications, ideally in practical terms by actually using it or at least showcasing examples from others. I’m doing a lot on the sales side at the moment (check posts under sales tag) and so want to focus on that a little in this post.

First, Microsoft where I work (disclosure) has been heavily involved with OpenAI and its ChatGPT solution and unless you have been living under a rock, you’ll know that the intention is to build it into many of its products. Here are two videos showcasing its use in the context of sales:

The first is an upgrade to Microsoft Teams in the form of a Premium version. I’ve written before about Microsoft Teams and CRM for Sales Productivity and this builds on a lot of that early, integrated work that I specified in the article, i.e. improved Teams Meetings experiences for sellers. Sellers spend a lot of virtual time in meetings with customers so anything you can do to enhance that is a win.

The second is a more direct integration with various Microsoft 365 tools and the core CRM platfom of choice. This video focuses on Dynamics 365 (Microsft’s platform) but it will work with other CRM platforms like the obvious one, Salesforce.

How else can a sales person use Generative AI?

Other than the examples shown above, I’m thinking search is an obvious path to better performance. How much time does a sales person spend searching for info they can use in their sales pitch. How about making that easier, especially for a new sales person for example, that is in the process of being onboarded to the company. How do you make that process faster and that persons time to value quicker.

Hopefully you will by now also have caught up on Microsoft’s latest announcement Reinventing search with a new AI-powered Microsoft Bing and Edge, your copilot for the web – The Official Microsoft Blog.

I cannot use the function on Bing yet as I just signed up and am on the waitlist since yesterday.

So I took ChatGPT for a spin instead and asked the question you see below with the answer I pasted. I’m really impressed – the answers are really thoughtful (if you can say that about AI). Maybe I say that because I know the space but imagine not knowing it – even more useful I think, at least for starters.

Think of other scenarios where you could use answers and ultimately knowledge, in your pitch. Questions around industry, comparing company’s results, competitive intelligence, customer feedback and sentiment, the list could go on…

I’m excited about the possibilities 💥

Question: Compare Microsoft Teams to Slack and provide pros and cons of each


Microsoft Teams and Slack are both popular collaboration and communication platforms used by organizations.

Pros of Microsoft Teams:

Integrated with Microsoft Office: Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft Office and other Microsoft services, making it a good option for organizations already using Microsoft products.
Enterprise-level security: Teams offers robust security features and compliance certifications, making it a good choice for businesses with strict security requirements.
Video and audio calls: Teams provides high-quality video and audio calls, making it easier for remote teams to connect face-to-face.
Large file sharing: Teams allows users to share and collaborate on large files with no size restrictions, making it a good choice for teams working with large files.

Cons of Microsoft Teams:

Steep learning curve: Teams has a lot of features, which can be overwhelming for users to learn, especially those coming from a more basic collaboration platform like Slack.
Cost: Teams is part of the Microsoft Office suite, which can be expensive for organizations to purchase, especially those on a budget.

Pros of Slack:

User-friendly interface: Slack has a clean and intuitive interface that is easy for users to navigate and use.
Integrations: Slack integrates with a wide range of tools and services, making it a flexible choice for organizations with diverse needs.
Good for real-time communication: Slack excels at real-time communication, with features like instant messaging and real-time notifications, making it a good choice for teams that need to be in constant communication.

Cons of Slack:

Limited video conferencing: Slack has limited video conferencing capabilities, making it less suitable for organizations that rely heavily on video calls.
File sharing limitations: Slack has file sharing limitations, including a limited file storage capacity and file size restrictions, making it less suitable for teams that need to share large files.
Limited security features: Slack has limited security features, making it less suitable for organizations with strict security requirements.