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AI exposure report

Will AI replace First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers?

Some of your tasks will be automated. People who use AI will have the edge.

Task exposure to today's AI

45/100

Moderate exposure

This is the occupation's typical task mix. Your own score can be up to 30 points higher or lower depending on how you work: routine share, people contact, judgment and how much you already use AI.

Get your personal score

Will AI replace First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers?

Not entirely. Today's AI tools can take on about 45% of the typical work in this occupation, mostly: keep records pertaining to purchases, sales, and requisitions. The parts that stay human include: Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties.; Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific services.; Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met..

People who learn to use AI for the automatable parts keep the edge. The 3-phase plan below shows where to start.

Which tasks AI can take on

The largest tasks in this occupation, their share of the working week, and how much of each today's AI tools can do.

TaskAutomatable
Keep records pertaining to purchases, sales, and requisitions. 70%
Listen to and resolve customer complaints regarding services, products, or personnel.AI already used 57%
Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met.AI already used 55%
Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific services. 38%
Attend company meetings to exchange product information and coordinate work activities with other departments. 38%
Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties. 23%

+ 12 more tasks (40% of the week) in the full test.

Your human edge

  • Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties.
  • Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific services.
  • Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met.

AI tools to try

CRM with AI (e.g. HubSpot, Salesforce Einstein, Pipedrive)ChatGPT / Claude for emails and researchCall recording and summary tools

Related roles

A 3-phase AI learning plan

Phase 1

AI for the pipeline

  • Prospect research and personalised emails with AI.
  • Call summaries and CRM updates.
  • Follow-up reminders and templates.

Project

Use AI to research 20 target accounts and draft personalised outreach emails, then log call summaries and next-step reminders in the CRM, timing hours saved vs. your old process.

Phase 2

Better conversations

  • Prepare meetings with AI briefings.
  • Objection handling and proposal drafts.
  • Learn the product faster with AI.

Project

Build an AI-generated objection-handling and product cheat sheet plus pre-meeting briefings for your team's 10 biggest open deals, and compare win rates before and after one month.

Phase 3

Trusted advisor

  • Focus time on relationships and complex deals.
  • Use data to find the right customers.
  • Share what works with the team.

Project

Analyse 12 months of sales and complaint data with AI to rank your top 25 ideal customers, reallocate 5 hours a week to those relationships, and run a team session on the findings.
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