The change in perspective is increasingly important today. As more enterprises integrate AI throughout their operations, the most significant outcomes aren’t always reflected in quarterly profits. Often, the clearest advantages emerge in swifter decision-making, improved workflows, and higher employee satisfaction.

AI ROI Beyond The Dashboard

It's only logical for firms to prioritize financial benefits when evaluating the ROI of their AI investments. However, according to experts such as Adrienne Uthe, managing principal at Kronus Intelligence Group, there’s more to consider.

“Organizations can operate far more swiftly than ever before. Everyone can create their own minimum viable products while addressing issues at an unprecedented pace. Junior staff gain substantial experience quickly due to effective collaboration with their AI-driven partners,” Uthe mentioned during an interview.

She argues that, unlike any other period in human history, professionals now possess tools that enhance productivity significantly. Real-world evidence supports Uthe’s assertions. Take the National Bank of Australia, which since adopting Microsoft 365 copilot, has dramatically cut down the time spent reviewing millions of security event logs.

This heightened efficiency has provided the company’s engineers with additional time to focus on other critical tasks. This trend aligns with a 2024 PwC survey revealing over 80% of employees believe ongoing use of generative AI tools enhances workplace efficiency.

It’s not merely about accomplishing more tasks faster. Companies like Elvee — which employs AI to assist contact center agencies in tackling employee turnover, retaining top talent, and regaining lost revenue — have also been instrumental in boosting employee performance via AI. In one specific case, Raz Dar, founder and CEO of Elvee, highlighted how their platform alerted a manager about a high-performing contact center agent contemplating resignation.

“On the surface, everything seemed normal. The employee was a top performer. Yet the manager was astonished to learn the system indicated the employee was highly likely to leave,” Dar enthusiastically stated.

The early warning allowed the company to take action, adjust the agent’s schedule, and retain a vital team member. No financial transaction occurred, yet something equally valuable transpired: the preservation of organizational culture. And that, more than any dashboard statistic, represents genuine AI ROI.

For Dar, this serves as another practical illustration of AI’s intangible yet potent advantages. He terms it “culture-shaping AI,” emphasizing AI’s role in influencing employee performance and motivation within organizations.

Measuring AI ROI

As more businesses start assessing AI’s influence on daily activities, it makes sense to highlight the criteria for judging the worth of these returns. When CEOs aren’t focused solely on monetary benefits, they can explore other vital aspects like employee contentment, customer reviews, and ethical considerations.

“Businesses should monitor decision quality via accuracy rates, speed enhancements, and confidence levels across core business processes. The optimal method evaluates decision reversal rates and contrasts predicted versus actual outcomes. Concentrate on straightforward metrics showing whether AI-augmented decisions yield superior choices,” suggested Brig Barker, managing principal at Kronus Intelligence Group.

Uthe emphasized that companies should concentrate on three areas: how swiftly decisions are made, how smoothly information circulates through the organization, and how rapidly teams adapt to market shifts. “If your workforce reports enjoying greater satisfaction collaborating with AI compared to working without it, it signifies you're heading in the right direction.”

However, employees aren’t the sole stakeholders impacted by AI. Customers play a crucial role in gauging AI ROI.

Users’ perception of an AI-powered product significantly influences its viability. Veteran customer experience expert Shep Hyken notes that more consumers are embracing AI in service delivery. For instance, AI chatbots have gained popularity recently, enabling businesses to manage large numbers of customer complaints more efficiently than human support staff.

In fact, the surge in AI-driven customer support is so strong that Hyken’s annual CX survey shows 63% of U.S. customers anticipate more firms adopting AI chatbots and similar automated support methods. In 2021, only 21% of respondents held this view.

While Klarna’s experience—replacing 700 roles with AI chatbots in 2024 but quietly rehiring for the same positions this year due to customer preference for human interaction—casts doubt on Hyken’s predictions, the outlook for AI in customer support remains positive. Nevertheless, for companies whose clients aren’t pleased with their AI implementation, reconsideration and adjustment might be necessary.

The Takeaway

AI ROI extends beyond cost reductions or novel revenue streams. It pertains to what improves when AI becomes integral to a company’s operations. While financial return remains the primary metric, particularly given the substantial investment in AI, it isn’t the sole factor to consider. Businesses must first determine why they’re investing in AI—only then can they define what success looks like.

If your AI investments lead to better employee performance and satisfaction, happier customers, or enhanced efficiency for you as a business leader, that qualifies as a victory. As Dar remarked, “These intangible wins frequently produce tangible impacts, even financially. That’s a win-win scenario.”

Uthe recommends focusing on decision speed, execution velocity, and how swiftly teams translate ideas into reality. She also suggests tracking the time from problem identification to solution deployment, assessing how AI amplifies top performers’ abilities, and distributing that performance across the organization. “The aim,” she said, “is to boost organizational acceleration.”

Dar warned that substituting human agents with AI can backfire if not handled carefully, noting that many employees feel uneasy upon hearing about their company piloting AI. Ironically, he pointed out that the best AI models require those same employees to train the system and handle complex, emotional interactions AI cannot manage. “Retention is critical if you want your AI to succeed,” he stated.

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