How AI is giving me 10 hours back every week
One month using an AI assistant has changed how I manage customers, prepare quotes and keep on top of my workload. Here’s how it’s making a difference.
I’m an Account Manager at enable, and I’d estimate that AI is now saving me at least 10 hours every week.
That’s time I used to spend building quotes, writing up customer requirements, updating CRM records and working through lengthy email conversations. Now, much of that admin can be handled in minutes, giving me more time to look after customers, manage my team and focus on improving how we work.
I started using an AI assistant connected directly to our SugarCRM system in October. Instead of navigating through different screens and manually entering information, I can simply ask it what I need in plain English.
It can find information, draft documents and make updates directly in the CRM, which I review and validate before anything goes out.
Here’s what my first month looked like.
Getting quotes out faster
One of the first differences I noticed was how quickly I could prepare quotes.
On 2 October, a manufacturing customer asked for ten additional licences. I asked the AI assistant to log the opportunity and prepare a quote. Within seconds, it had selected the correct products from our catalogue and put everything together.
Previously, I’d have had to add each line manually. Instead, the customer received their quote within minutes and accepted it a couple of hours later.
For me, this is a game changer. Speed matters when you’re dealing with customers, and getting a quote out quickly can make all the difference.
Spending less time writing up customer requirements
Scopings are where I’ve noticed the biggest improvement.
When a customer requests something new, I need to document exactly what they want, how it should work and how much time it might take to deliver. The information is often spread across lengthy email chains, meeting transcripts and conversations.
Previously, pulling everything together and writing a scoping could take around an hour. Now, the AI assistant reads through the relevant information and drafts it for me. I just need to check it, make any improvements and finalise it.
The difference goes beyond saving my own time. The design team also receives better-quality information, with relevant emails, CRM records and customer background already linked to the request.
This means less time chasing information, fewer gaps to fill and less back and forth.
Last month, I had one customer change documented and a priced quote ready within about an hour. For another customer, I completed the scoping before lunch and had the quote ready by early afternoon. That resulted in over £12,000 worth of income within a couple of days.
Improving the quality of our CRM data
Something I didn’t initially expect was how much better my CRM records would become.
Like most people, I used to fill in the fields I needed and sometimes skip the ones I didn’t have time for.
Now, the assistant completes the relevant fields on quotes, opportunities, scopings, contacts and leads for me.
It might sound like a small change, but having complete and consistent information makes a big difference to the wider business. Our reports and sales forecasts are now based on much better data, helping us make more informed decisions.
It also means other teams can see what’s happening with a customer. When sales needs to update support about a case, for example, the assistant can add the information directly to the record so the support team can see it straight away.
More time for customers, less time on admin
ooking back at October, the numbers speak for themselves.
- 10 scopings completed in October, compared with an average of fewer than five per month over the first nine months of the year.
- Quotes prepared in minutes rather than the 30 minutes they could previously take.
- Over £12,000 in income from work quoted within a couple of days.
- At least 10 hours saved every week, based on my estimate of the time saved across my workload.
But what matters most is what I can now do with that extra time.
I can manage my team more proactively, spot things that need attention before they become urgent and spend more time improving how we work.
I’m also spending more time with customers. I’ve been able to do more onsite visits than ever, because a day away from the office no longer means coming back to a mountain of admin to catch up on.
