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CRM and sales

Why you need a CRM with an AI sales agent

Danielle Tawfik 13 min read

In the past couple of years, successful sales teams most definitely haven’t shied away from using technology to their advantage. Between CRMs becoming standard practice to the more recent surge of AI to automate sales reps’ tasks and admin work, one thing has become abundantly clear: sales teams must embrace new technologies if they want to stay competitive.

But even more importantly, these technological advancements are giving sales reps something invaluable — the freedom to actually spend their time selling. Which, regardless of any skeptical personal opinions surrounding AI, most sales professionals can agree: that’s exactly what they want to be doing. One of the most innovative — and increasingly popular — technologies gaining traction among sales teams today is the AI sales agent.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into what exactly an AI sales agent is, why it’s become a core part of modern CRM systems, and present you with the top 5 AI sales agent software on the market. Plus, we’ll introduce how to use monday CRM AI sales agent technology to increase productivity and boost sales.

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What is an AI sales agent? 

Before defining exactly what an AI sales agent is, let’s first clear up what it isn’t. The term AI sales agent may initially conjure up the image of a robot taking over a salesperson’s job — perhaps some human-like projection that pops up on your computer screen, taking sales calls in their entirety. But that’s a common misconception. The reality of this term is far more nuanced, yet reassuring for us human beings hoping AI won’t take over our jobs.

Most simply, an AI sales agent refers to any artificial-intelligence-powered software built to automate and enhance the many moving parts of the sales process. They can perform a variety of sales tasks from generating and qualifying leads, scheduling meetings, to sending follow-ups: essentially, autonomously handling any repetitive yet essential tasks so sales reps can focus their time on selling.   

These software systems differ from simpler sales automation tools because they lean on the advancements of AI technology like Natural Language Processing (NLP), generative AI(Gen AI), and Machine Learning (ML) to streamline sales workflows. The use of this innovative technology creates remarkably impressive systems that:

  • Consistently analyze data to become more efficient over time
  • Adapt the way they handle complex tasks by learning from user behavior and preferences
  • Mimic human behavior and interaction styles
  • Predict potential outcomes & provide personalized recommendations

What is an AI sales agent in CRM?

AI sales agents aren’t always standalone software. In fact, they’re often integrated within existing CRM (customer relationship management) systems to centralize sales workflows in one cohesive platform. monday CRM is a prime example of a sales software that seamlessly integrates AI sales agent technology into its existing CRM system. This integration ensures that AI-powered workflows are built into every stage of the sales process — from outreach to forecasting, while maintaining a positive customer experience.

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AI sales agent use cases & capabilities 

The term AI sales agent is considerably broad, continually evolving in meaning, not too different from the idea of something like a personal assistant or operations manager. It can refer to virtually any sort of AI tool that can benefit sales professionals in their day-to-day processes, providing intelligent assistance according to personalized needs.

But the defining factors of AI sales agent technology is that it’s adaptive and autonomous — it can provide intelligent assistance at any point of the sales cycle, specifically tailored to a situation in real time.

There are some common use cases and capabilities of AI sales agent software that are transforming the way sales teams work:

1. Lead generation/ qualification automation

AI sales agent software is great for automatically sourcing new leads and scoring them at the top of the funnel. This technology can automatically qualify leads through algorithms that assess behavior, demographics, and intent — even sending personalized questions to further evaluate fit, ensuring that the right prospects get sent to human sales reps. They can also build a lead scoring system that continuously improves over time by assessing customer behavior and engagement patterns for a more accurate understanding of which leads will convert.

2. Meeting scheduling

AI sales agent CRM software can handle the notoriously time-consuming back-and-forth of meeting scheduling. Since this software often integrates with calendar apps like Outlook or Google Calendar, it can automatically schedule meetings that fit both the sales rep and lead’s schedule, sending reminders to both parties and rescheduling if necessary.

4. Automated follow-up communication

Follow-ups are key to closing leads or effectively nurturing them down the funnel, and a missed follow-up email can be the factor that makes or breaks a deal. AI sales agent technology ensures personalized follow-up emails are always sent at the right time, eliminating the risk of a lead falling through the cracks.

5. Email outreach

AI email outreach assistants can help sales reps create engaging, personalized emails based on available customer data and past customer interactions. They can generate and send outreach automatically or provide customized templates that reps can tweak — helping sales teams scale their efforts without sacrificing personalization

6. Sales forecasting 

The monday CRM state of sales technology 2025 report found that sales teams use AI the most in sales forecasting compared to any other use cases. AI sales agents are always analyzing information and spotting patterns to create accurate estimates of which sales will close or not.

7. Conversational chatbots 

Gen AI-powered chatbots can engage with prospects instantly through human-like conversation. They provide website visitors, leads, or customers access to interact with the company at any time, and can even proactively engage with prospective leads.

8. Updating CRM entry and updates

AI sales agents automate the manual work of a CRM — updating deal stages, assigning relevant representatives to specific qualified leads, and even summarizing meetings.

Benefits of AI sales agents

According to the same monday CRM state of sales technology 2025 report,

Over 80% of surveyed sales leaders reported AI has had a positive impact on sales performance and team productivity.

It’s clear: AI sales agent technology is an undeniable game-changer for modern sales teams. Here’s how:

More productive sales agents 

Research has shown that sales reps spend less than 30% of their time actually selling because they’re so busy with administrative work. AI sales agents automate busywork or repetitive tasks, so sales reps can spend time on more valuable tasks like relationship building or deal negotiations, giving human sales reps the freedom to work as creatively,  productively, and intentionally as possible.

Increased customer satisfaction 

With AI chatbots providing immediate, personalized responses with 24/7 availability, customers don’t have to deal with frustrating delays or gaps in communication. This faster issue resolution, in addition to the data-backed accuracy this technology affords, leads to more successful customer relationships, as they can rely on instant, engaging, and accurate communication.

Smart, data-backed decision making 

AI sales agents continuously analyze every bit of data, providing valuable insights in real time, ranging from trend spotting to predictive analytics and visibility into which deals will close. With all this information at a sales team’s fingertips, they can make sharper, faster decisions with informed confidence.

Scalability without increasing resources 

With automations powering the entire sales process — systemizing follow-ups, lead qualification, communication, and more — increasing lead volume won’t necessarily require extra effort or resources. Teams can scale at whatever speed they like, with the confidence that customer engagement will still be strong.

Top 5 CRM with AI sales agent technology

To get the best use out of your CRM, it’s essential that it offers AI sales agent technology. This ensures maximum sales efficiency and centralization. Here’s a lowdown of the top CRMs on the market with AI sales agents built within.

1. monday CRM

monday CRM is the all-in-one, customizable CRM, allowing sales teams to create their own AI-powered sales process for ultimate visibility and control.

Top monday AI features: 

  • Automated task generation – Turn ideas or meeting outcomes into actionable tasks and automatically move deals forward.
  • Email composition and rephrasing –  create any type of email or use smart template suggestions
  • Content generation and summarizing-  Create polished content for every step of the sales cycle, or summarize anything from a call transcript to meeting notes

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2. Salesforce

Salesforce agent force is a Salesforce application where users can build and customize autonomous AI agents to support their sales processes.

Top AI features

  • Personalized lead outreach – connect inbound leads to  Agentforce and set clear guidelines for when and how to reach out, using data for tailored messages at scale.
  • Meeting booking – Transition interested leads to your sales team by providing real-time calendar availability for easy meeting scheduling.
  • Automated quoting – Agentforce creates, modifies, and summarizes quotes while maintaining role-based access permissions.

3. Freshsales

Freshsales CRM comes with an advanced AI assistant, Freddy, as a sales copilot to power workflows.

Top features of Freddy AI:

  • AI-powered lead scoring – analyzes data points and behavioral patterns
  • AI insights – summarizes emails, analyzes historical data, and offers real-time recommendations
  • Campaign writing – crafts personalized emails including subject line, body text, and more

4.Zoho

The popular CRM is embedded with a conversational AI sales assistant, Zia, with the goal of empowering teams through AI-enhanced decision-making.

Top features of Zia AI:

  • Product recommendations –  by analyzing each touchpoint that customers have with your brand and looking for patterns, Zia can help you find the most relevant product or service that a lead is likely to be interested in.
  • Analyzes email sentiment –  Zia analyzes the content of customer emails to determine tone and purpose for effective email prioritization.
  • Lead distributions – assigning leads to the best sales rep based on their availability and how well they handled similar leads in the past.

5. Hubspot

Hubspot CRM is equipped with the advanced Breeze prospecting agent that targets, researches, and engages with ideal customers.

Top features of Breeze prospecting agent:

  • Outreach recommendation – automatically generates tailored outreach recommendations based on account analysis and research.
  • Custom messages for audience segments – creates unique outreach variations at scale, maintaining a personal touch
  • AI-powered insights – Breeze presents prospect research in an easily digestible format intended for entire teams to understand and act on.

monday CRM: the AI sales agent CRM software for productive sales operations  

monday CRM is an intuitive, AI-powered CRM designed to speed up your sales cycle and give your team the power to work as efficiently as possible. With AI embedded into its foundation, sales teams can seamlessly implement powerful AI features into their day-to-day work.

While the AI capabilities are advanced, the platform is simple to use and fully customizable. Below are some of the top AI sales agent features that make monday CRM a powerful tool for high-performing sales teams:

Sentiment analysis 

AI can read all the latest messages & notes with leads — reviewing everything like call summaries, emails, and other interactions — and gives you an instant analysis on how they’re feeling.  Interactions are categorized as Positive, Negative, or Neutral, helping reps understand where a deal stands and who needs more attention.

Zoom AI summary

After a Zoom call is over, the AI assistant summarizes and saves the gist and important notes of each meeting — especially helpful for sales reps in back-to-back calls so they can keep track of everything easily without having to take detailed notes.

Timeline summary

AI automatically sums up all the latest activity to do with each contact so sales reps don’t have to dig through notes or emails. By creating a short, clear summary of AI communication events — emails, calls, meetings, and notes— sales teams gain a complete understanding of their team’s history with a client in seconds.

timeline summary ai sales agent

The future of AI sales agents

As sales leaders across the globe continuously embrace AI to improve their work, AI sales agents will likely become a necessity for effective, up-to-date CRM systems. AI sales agents will continue to evolve — not to replace human reps, but to enhance their capabilities so teams can reach their full potential and achieve more than they ever thought possible.

In the near future, we can expect AI sales agents to take on even more complex responsibilities — perhaps delivering hyper-personalized outreach based on real-time buyer signals and collaborating across departments to connect sales, marketing, and customer success insights in one place.

CRM’s that adopt this AI sales agent technology securely and ethically will lead the way for the next generation of sales operations. Try monday CRM today and experience how an AI-powered platform can transform your sales process so your team can work smarter and close faster.

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FAQs

AI sales agents refer to a variety of technologies existing in different shapes and sizes. AI sales agents commonly take the form of:
Conversational agents like chatbots or voicebots that engage leads in real time
Lead qualification and scoring agents to prioritize high-potential prospects
Email outreach assistants to generate and personalize sales emails at scale
Scheduling agents to book meetings and automatically send reminders
Forecasting agents that analyze data and predict deal outcomes
CRM automation agents that update records, log activity, and summarize meetings

Many sales agent CRM software combine these types of agents in one centralized platform, allowing AI sales agents to save time, reduce manual effort, and close more deals.

The best AI digital agent tool for sales automation depends on many factors like team size, goals, and budget. Some popular AI agents for sales automation include
- monday crm for customizable workflows
- Zoho CRM for smaller businesses looking for AI workflows
- Salesforce for advanced automations and analytics

AI in CRM refers to the use of artificial intelligence to enhance customer relationship management systems. This allows teams to automate tasks, personalize communication, uncover insights, and make smarter, data-driven decisions throughout the sales cycle.

The content in this article is provided for informational purposes only and, to the best of monday.com’s knowledge, the information provided in this article  is accurate and up-to-date at the time of publication. That said, monday.com encourages readers to verify all information directly.
Originally from New York, Danielle is a writer and storyteller. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her playing with her 100-pound rescue dog or catching a spontaneous flight to explore a new country.
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