Pursue Technology that Puts Value Upfront Quickly — Scheduler AI Co-founder and CEO

(US & Canada) Maddie Bell, Co-founder and CEO at Scheduler AI, speaks with Channie Mize, General Manager at Slalom, in a video interview about making people understand the impact of microtasks, how AI fills the gaps without replacing humans, tying micro-moments with top-line results, the challenges of micro impacts and how to overcome them, and the importance of responsible AI.

Scheduler AI is an AI appointment setter that instantly books meetings and safeguards show rates.

Bell states that one of the most effective things she began doing to help people understand the impact of microtasks was quantifying them honestly and getting people to quantify those. She adds that this was much more impactful than just giving people information.

Much of today’s technology has a placebo effect, says Bell. There is this perception of automation, but the reality is often different. She takes the instance of booking links that many businesses offer to customers, allowing them to book a time online.

Technically, the process is automated, and the prospects can visit the website, fill out the form, and book an appointment, but the truth is, very few do this. Bell notes that there would be no micro problem if 100% of people used the booking link, but evidently, only 20% follow through. The remaining 80% need follow-ups, conversations, suggested times, reminders, and rescheduling.

Furthermore, it is critical to note how quickly a team member responds to the interested prospects. While automation may send out messages, if the follow-up takes hours, the prospect moves on.

Similarly, Bell urges to assess the revenue sales meeting represents and the impact one could create by increasing the number of people present in the meeting by 5%. Sharing an example, she says that for a team’s sales call, a 5% improvement in attendance translated to $243,000 in potential revenue.

Now, the focus is on how AI responsibly fills the gaps without replacing humans, says Bell. She asserts that it is evident that AI can play a unique role in handling tasks like immediate follow-ups or rescheduling because humans are busy with other tasks.

Delving further, Bell notes that she is passionate about how micro-moments can have macro impacts when one takes the time to measure them. She maintains that such moments must be tied to top-line results, and while productivity is hard to measure, revenue is not.

Therefore, if one can showcase how improving these processes can drive top and bottom-line advantages, then organizations will move behind those efforts. Further, that is crucial to gain buy-in, being able to track KPIs that show how the value of technology outweighs the cost of investment.

For Scheduler AI, shifting focus to scalable pipeline meetings made a massive difference because they are measurable and directly tied to revenue.

Adding another key point, Bell urges to pursue technology with a zero moment of truth that puts value upfront quickly, to build on from there. Elaborating, she says that initially, the team thought that since 99% of the office workforce does not have an executive assistant, they would offer a solution that acts like a personal helper.

However, the challenge with these micro impacts is that even if the solution is better and easier, one must overcome the difficulty of changing habits. The way to overcome it is by delivering immediate value, says Bell. Therefore, the team changed the approach and integrated AI to work with existing systems. This approach bypassed the challenge of habit change, and people wanted to use it.

Consequently, the habit of relying on a co-pilot resurfaced, and upon outward scaling, Scheduler AI has generated almost $4 million in the qualified sales pipeline over the past 90 days. With people noticing the results and wanting to know more about what it can do, the use case can be extended, she adds.

When asked if the company personifies AI or treats it like technology, Bell asserts that building responsible AI is crucial. AI has to be controllable, transparent, and fair. For example, AI handling tasks like automated outreach and booking meetings is a fair role. But if AI starts closing deals, that crosses a line.

Having said that, Bell states that there are many perspectives on that, and Scheduler AI gives its customers flexibility to decide how they want to use automation. However, the company coaches its customers on the need for transparency, which is why it has invested time in building AI agents that customer companies can see and manage.

In conclusion, Bell states that the user companies can see the exact instructions given to the AI, the questions it asks, and the responses it receives. This way, AI facilitates human connection rather than replacing it, and there is flexibility, but within a framework.

CDO Magazine appreciates Maddie Bell for sharing her insights with our global community.