In July, Microsoft proved to have radically changed strategy as its investment in AI. The Batacazo were The 9,000 layoffs that affected several of their departments, but there was also a change of sight: their approach to corporate sales. After having fired thousands of commercials traditional, the firm opted for replace them with solution engineers Specialized in artificial intelligence. A transformation that seems to be marking trend in the technological sector and that responds to the new demands of the business market.
A change in the sales model. Microsoft’s strategy is to eliminate the figure of the general seller, that profile focused on commercial relationships but with limited technical knowledge. Instead, the company is committed to professionals who can make technical demonstrations from the first contact with the client. Judson Althoff, commercial director of Microsoft, It has reorganized completely its division with the aim of turning the company into “the firm of the avant -garde”.
Why Microsoft makes this decision. According to Business Insider sources Near to the company, some business clients transferred their frustration to Microsoft for having to go through several vendors before reaching the technical aspects of the product. “The client wants Microsoft to present their people technically,” according to internal sources of the company. Artificial intelligence has raised expectations, as there are more and more companies that prefer to have first hand a deep understanding of the product from the first meeting, not superficial commercial talks.
The competition presses. Microsoft faces a fierce battle with OpenAi and Google for the business market. Although it has the advantage that many large companies already use their tools, Your employees prefer chatgpt for being better known. This competitive pressure has accelerated the reorganization of the six areas of previous solutions in only three: business solutions, Cloud and IA platforms, and security.
The domino effect on the sector. Microsoft’s strategy is not an isolated case. Salesforce has already applied a similar approachreducing your support staff from 9,000 to 5,000 employees thanks to AI agents. Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, explained that “I managed to rebalance the number of support personnel because I need less.” This restructuring has allowed it to redirect resources towards R&D departments and more specialized sales.
Eliminating layers. What is really happening is a redefinition of commercial value in the AI era. Sector investors and analysts interpret These movements as a sign of technological maturity. And it is that companies such as Microsoft are showing that sales teams that do not understand the complexity of their products can no longer allow. Jason Lemkin, Specialized Software Startup Investor, esteem that “between 30% and 40% of sales representatives of one or two calls will be replaced by AI”.
Cover image | Simon Ray
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