As workplaces evolve, digital labor is emerging as a powerful tool capable of unlocking vast amounts of untapped potential. Rowena Westphalen, AI and innovation expert at Salesforce, emphasizes the urgency with which Australian businesses need to adopt Agentic AI, especially in the face of growing productivity challenges.
The development of artificial intelligence is accelerating, with each iteration offering businesses new opportunities. After predictive and generative AI, businesses are now turning their focus to Agentic AI, a new frontier that promises to redefine business processes faster than anticipated. Unlike its predecessors, Agentic AI is designed to make independent decisions and carry out tasks autonomously, streamlining operations and tackling complex, multi-step problems that traditionally require human intervention.
Westphalen, who holds the position of Senior Vice President of Innovation, AI, and Customer Advisory at Salesforce, notes, “Agentic AI will change the rules of the game.”
The urgency for AI adoption in Australia is underscored by a recent McKinsey report, which flagged a national emergency due to declining living standards. Additionally, many businesses are grappling with burnout and employee turnover, prompting leaders to explore how AI might help bridge the gap. A separate McKinsey report indicates that 75% of AI’s value will be realized in front-line functions like customer service and sales—a transformative shift some companies are already embracing, while others are still figuring out how to leverage the technology.
Westphalen identifies one key obstacle to improving productivity: the continued reliance on human labor for repetitive, low-value tasks. As businesses look for ways to boost efficiency, many are turning to Agentforce, Salesforce’s AI platform that enables users to deploy autonomous agents. By automating these routine functions, businesses can redirect human resources to more impactful, strategic endeavors.
Salesforce’s own adoption of Agentforce demonstrates the power of this technology. Since deploying AI agents, the company has reduced the need for human intervention by half, while increasing weekly interactions. “In the past two years, we’ve seen a technological evolution that tackles both employee satisfaction and economic productivity issues,” says Westphalen. “Predictive AI identified patterns, generative AI personalized content, and now agentic AI takes things further by enabling systems to analyze, make decisions, and act autonomously.”
The beauty of Agentforce lies in its integration with existing platforms. Rather than creating and maintaining AI models from scratch, businesses can build custom AI agents using the Salesforce platform they already rely on. Westphalen stresses that AI should be deployed strategically to solve real business challenges rather than used for its own sake. Leaders must envision how Agentforce can reshape their operations to drive real value.
Among the early adopters of Agentforce is hipages, a leading two-sided marketplace that connects tradies with customers. According to Chief Technology Officer Jeremy Burton, the company had outgrown its legacy systems, and Agentforce provided the ideal solution to boost efficiency. By automating license checks, hipages has saved an average of 193 hours per month—freeing up human employees to focus on more complex tasks.
Similarly, Fisher & Paykel has begun utilizing Agentforce to enhance its customer support services. By automating routine inquiries and appointment scheduling, the company can offer 24/7 support, allowing human agents to focus on building stronger customer relationships.
Burton believes that adopting Agentforce has positioned hipages for future success. “If you stand still, you’re actually going backwards. Innovation is essential to stay competitive,” he says. His advice for other businesses is to start with one meaningful use case to gain buy-in and demonstrate the value of AI before expanding further.
As Agentic AI continues to gain traction, businesses are beginning to recognize its potential not only to improve productivity but also to enhance customer experiences and create more agile, responsive workforces. The future is bright for those who embrace these technological innovations and integrate them strategically into their operations.
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