{"id":94845,"date":"2026-08-27T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=94845"},"modified":"2026-08-26T16:37:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T23:37:31","slug":"agentic-ai-leaders-survey-on-roi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/agentic-ai-leaders-survey-on-roi\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study of 2,025 Agentic AI Leaders: First To Launch Isn\u2019t Fastest to ROI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-shadow-box is-style-takeaways\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 id=\"h-key-takeaways\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-25268e11e440b151a477184bfe383f9e\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Being first to deploy AI agents doesn&#8217;t mean being first to see returns. Professional and Business Services were some of the slowest sectors to adopt AI agents but the fastest to achieve meaningful ROI (within 6.5 months).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The prime determinants of success are clean, accessible data; narrowly defined agent scope; and human escalation paths established in advance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On average, companies that deploy AI agents hit meaningful ROI in about eight months, with strong adoption and customer satisfaction gains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Agent deployments <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/agentic-enterprise-index-insights-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more than doubled over the past year<\/a>, according to Salesforce\u2019s platform data, and those agents are driving real results. Retailers running <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/agentforce\/ai-agents\/?d=cta-body-promo-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AI agents<\/a> grew online sales at four times the rate of those that didn\u2019t. For the many organizations now deploying their first agents, that raises a sharper question: Among those already seeing returns, what sets them apart? Salesforce\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/products\/resources\/state-of-agentic-ai-in-enterprise\/?d=cta-body-promo-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>State of Agentic AI in the Enterprise<\/em><\/a>, a global survey of 2,025 agentic AI decision makers, points to preparation rather than pace. Companies that deployed first weren\u2019t necessarily the first to reach meaningful ROI. Rather, operational factors (e.g., having clean, well-governed data available to agents at their time of need; clearly defined agent scope) were most predictive of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other key results: Among the 30% already running agents in production, deployments reach ROI in about eight months, with an employee adoption rate of 53% and a 29% average lift in customer satisfaction.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery boardroom is asking whether it\u2019s moving fast enough. Two years into the agentic shift, the answer from the data is that the advantage was never in starting first; it\u2019s in starting deliberately. The organizations getting real returns got specific about a shortlist of things before conditions were perfect: the data they made trustworthy for the job, the point where a person stays in the loop, and the guardrails they built before they needed them.\u201d \u2014 Shibani Ahuja, SVP, Data &amp; AI Strategy, Salesforce<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image__wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full prevent-download\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"wp-block-image__modal-toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-modal-id=\"94850-modal\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Open Image Modal<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"861\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\" Data summary graphic showing business impact metrics following AI agent adoption. The table outlines five key results: achieving ROI within eight months, 53% regular employee adoption, a 29% boost in customer satisfaction, 31% quicker issue resolution times, and a 29% decrease in operational costs.\n\" class=\"wp-image-94850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png 861w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=300&amp;h=134 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=768&amp;h=343 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=264&amp;h=118 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=500&amp;h=224 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=150&amp;h=67 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=432&amp;h=193 432w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 861px) 100vw, 861px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<div id=\"94850-modal\" class=\"image-modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"image-dialog-title\"><div class=\"image-modal__overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-a11y-dialog-hide><\/div><div class=\"image-modal__content\" role=\"dialog\"><button class=\"image-modal__close-button\" type=\"button\" data-a11y-dialog-hide aria-label=\"Close this image dialog window\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 26 25\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" fill=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><rect x=\".626\" y=\"22.753\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(-45 .626 22.753)\"\/><rect x=\"2.747\" y=\".125\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(45 2.747 .125)\"\/><\/svg><\/button><h1 id=\"image-dialog-title\" class=\"screen-reader-text\">Image Modal<\/h1>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full prevent-download\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"861\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\" Data summary graphic showing business impact metrics following AI agent adoption. The table outlines five key results: achieving ROI within eight months, 53% regular employee adoption, a 29% boost in customer satisfaction, 31% quicker issue resolution times, and a 29% decrease in operational costs.\n\" class=\"wp-image-94850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png 861w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=300&amp;h=134 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=768&amp;h=343 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=264&amp;h=118 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=500&amp;h=224 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=150&amp;h=67 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c7fdd1.png?w=432&amp;h=193 432w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 861px) 100vw, 861px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-dig-deeper\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Dig deeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"h-the-industries-fastest-to-roi-aren-t-always-the-ones-leading-in-deployment\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The industries fastest to ROI aren\u2019t always the ones leading in deployment<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If speed of deployment drove returns, the earliest and largest deployers would also be the fastest to ROI. They aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The industries furthest along in their AI agent deployment are different from the industries reaching ROI fastest \u2014 evidence that being first to adopt doesn\u2019t guarantee being first to returns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two of the industries with the smallest share of companies that have graduated to full deployment \u2014 Professional &amp; Business Services and Supply Chain &amp; Logistics \u2014 attained meaningful ROI the fastest.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conversely, the High Tech industry is one of the biggest deployers of AI agents but posts one of the slowest times to ROI at 10.1 months.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><div class=\"wp-block-image__wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full prevent-download\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"wp-block-image__modal-toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-modal-id=\"94851-modal\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Open Image Modal<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"252\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\"Data graphic showing two top-five industry lists: &quot;Industries Leading Full Deployment&quot; and &quot;Industries Fastest to ROI.&quot; The return-on-investment timeline highlights time frames ranging from 6.5 months for Professional Services to 7.2 months for Engineering, Manufacturing, and Financial Services.\" class=\"wp-image-94851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=300&amp;h=98 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=264&amp;h=87 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=500&amp;h=164 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=150&amp;h=49 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=588&amp;h=193 588w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<div id=\"94851-modal\" class=\"image-modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"image-dialog-title\"><div class=\"image-modal__overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-a11y-dialog-hide><\/div><div class=\"image-modal__content\" role=\"dialog\"><button class=\"image-modal__close-button\" type=\"button\" data-a11y-dialog-hide aria-label=\"Close this image dialog window\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 26 25\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" fill=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><rect x=\".626\" y=\"22.753\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(-45 .626 22.753)\"\/><rect x=\"2.747\" y=\".125\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(45 2.747 .125)\"\/><\/svg><\/button><h1 id=\"image-dialog-title\" class=\"screen-reader-text\">Image Modal<\/h1>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full prevent-download\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"252\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\"Data graphic showing two top-five industry lists: &quot;Industries Leading Full Deployment&quot; and &quot;Industries Fastest to ROI.&quot; The return-on-investment timeline highlights time frames ranging from 6.5 months for Professional Services to 7.2 months for Engineering, Manufacturing, and Financial Services.\" class=\"wp-image-94851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=300&amp;h=98 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=264&amp;h=87 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=500&amp;h=164 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=150&amp;h=49 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_c20684.png?w=588&amp;h=193 588w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h6 id=\"h-perfect-data-isn-t-a-prerequisite-for-deployment-nbsp-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Perfect data isn\u2019t a prerequisite for deployment&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Data readiness doesn\u2019t separate those who have deployed AI agents from those who haven\u2019t, though it correlates with better outcomes once deployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deployers credit two factors above the rest for the success of their most autonomous agents: clean, accessible data at the moment an agent acts and a tightly bounded use case. Neither requires fully unified data across the business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In fact, only 31% of deployers fully unified their data before launching AI agents. The other 69% were still integrating sources, working around gaps, or operating on fragmented data.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, organizations that unified relevant data before deploying their AI agents achieved meaningful ROI sooner than those who deployed agents first then addressed data infrastructure gaps afterward \u2014 7.3 months versus 8.8.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople think they need to boil the ocean \u2014 get all their data perfect in one place before starting. What we\u2019re finding is you can go use case by use case: get the data accurate, mechanized, and semantically described so agents understand what it is and how to use it. That semantic layer is what unlocks the value.\u201d \u2014 Joe Inzerillo, President, Enterprise &amp; AI Technology, Salesforce<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><div class=\"wp-block-image__wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full prevent-download\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"wp-block-image__modal-toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-modal-id=\"94848-modal\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Open Image Modal<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"862\" height=\"715\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\"Data visualization showing factors enabling autonomous AI agent deployment success. The table ranks 10 factors, with statistical significance color-coded in green, for top drivers like clean data access (36%) and bounded scope definitions (36%), and red, for lower drivers such as LLM model quality, platform-native tools, and unified orchestration layers (30% each).\" class=\"wp-image-94848\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png 862w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=300&amp;h=249 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=768&amp;h=637 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=264&amp;h=219 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=440&amp;h=365 440w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=150&amp;h=124 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=233&amp;h=193 233w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 862px) 100vw, 862px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<div id=\"94848-modal\" class=\"image-modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"image-dialog-title\"><div class=\"image-modal__overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-a11y-dialog-hide><\/div><div class=\"image-modal__content\" role=\"dialog\"><button class=\"image-modal__close-button\" type=\"button\" data-a11y-dialog-hide aria-label=\"Close this image dialog window\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 26 25\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" fill=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><rect x=\".626\" y=\"22.753\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(-45 .626 22.753)\"\/><rect x=\"2.747\" y=\".125\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(45 2.747 .125)\"\/><\/svg><\/button><h1 id=\"image-dialog-title\" class=\"screen-reader-text\">Image Modal<\/h1>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full prevent-download\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"862\" height=\"715\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\"Data visualization showing factors enabling autonomous AI agent deployment success. The table ranks 10 factors, with statistical significance color-coded in green, for top drivers like clean data access (36%) and bounded scope definitions (36%), and red, for lower drivers such as LLM model quality, platform-native tools, and unified orchestration layers (30% each).\" class=\"wp-image-94848\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png 862w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=300&amp;h=249 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=768&amp;h=637 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=264&amp;h=219 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=440&amp;h=365 440w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=150&amp;h=124 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/image_666631.png?w=233&amp;h=193 233w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 862px) 100vw, 862px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h6 id=\"h-agents-deliver-more-when-they-re-embedded-in-the-workflow-not-bolted-on\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Agents deliver more when they\u2019re embedded in the workflow, not bolted on<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where an agent lives shapes what it can reach.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The average surveyed organization runs 58 separate business applications, yet fewer than half (42%) have AI natively embedded across them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Employees use AI regularly at an incrementally higher rate where it\u2019s natively embedded (55%) than where it\u2019s connected but outside core systems (47%).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ninety-four percent of deployers say embedding AI into core workflows delivers more value than running it as a stand-alone tool.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><div class=\"wp-block-image__wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized prevent-download\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"wp-block-image__modal-toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-modal-id=\"94858-modal\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Open Image Modal<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1157\" height=\"388\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\"Data table detailing &quot;AI User Adoption&quot; percentages based on integration style. It highlights that organizations with natively integrated artificial intelligence tools see higher usage rates among staff compared with systems operating outside core workflows.\n\" class=\"wp-image-94858\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.7778638970702216;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png 1157w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=300&amp;h=101 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=768&amp;h=258 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=1024&amp;h=343 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=264&amp;h=89 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=500&amp;h=168 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=150&amp;h=50 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=576&amp;h=193 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1157px) 100vw, 1157px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<div id=\"94858-modal\" class=\"image-modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"image-dialog-title\"><div class=\"image-modal__overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-a11y-dialog-hide><\/div><div class=\"image-modal__content\" role=\"dialog\"><button class=\"image-modal__close-button\" type=\"button\" data-a11y-dialog-hide aria-label=\"Close this image dialog window\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 26 25\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" fill=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><rect x=\".626\" y=\"22.753\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(-45 .626 22.753)\"\/><rect x=\"2.747\" y=\".125\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(45 2.747 .125)\"\/><\/svg><\/button><h1 id=\"image-dialog-title\" class=\"screen-reader-text\">Image Modal<\/h1>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized prevent-download\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1157\" height=\"388\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\"Data table detailing &quot;AI User Adoption&quot; percentages based on integration style. It highlights that organizations with natively integrated artificial intelligence tools see higher usage rates among staff compared with systems operating outside core workflows.\n\" class=\"wp-image-94858\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.7778638970702216;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png 1157w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=300&amp;h=101 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=768&amp;h=258 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=1024&amp;h=343 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=264&amp;h=89 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=500&amp;h=168 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=150&amp;h=50 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-User-Adoption-by-Embeddedness.png?w=576&amp;h=193 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1157px) 100vw, 1157px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h6 id=\"h-governance-tends-to-arrive-late-and-there-s-a-real-speed-versus-durability-tradeoff\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Governance tends to arrive late \u2014 and there\u2019s a real speed-versus-durability tradeoff<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most deployers went live with some oversight and built the rest afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deployers averaged two governance structures \u2014 such as real-time monitoring, escalation frameworks, and audit logs \u2014 before deploying agents, and three after.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>That sequence tracks with speed: Organizations with lighter oversight reached positive ROI in 7.2 months, versus 9.3 months for those with heavier governance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organizations with below-average governance were nearly twice as likely to discover an agent operating outside of their parameters only after a consequential error occurred \u2014 32% versus 18% of those with above-average governance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For many, this is a genuine tradeoff: Launch faster with lighter governance in place, and you\u2019re likely faster to ROI but slower to catch what goes wrong.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More than a third of respondents whose AI initiatives slowed, stalled, or failed (38%) named stronger governance frameworks and escalation protocols among what they\u2019d do differently.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGood enough to learn is the bar. Define guardrails sensibly, but don\u2019t overbuild them to the point where you kill the innovation.\u201d \u2014 Joe Inzerillo, President, Enterprise &amp; AI Technology, Salesforce<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image__wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large prevent-download\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"wp-block-image__modal-toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-modal-id=\"94859-modal\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Open Image Modal<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"422\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Data graphic snippet titled &quot;AI Agent Outcomes by Governance Level&quot; comparing Time to ROI, AI Agent User Adoption, and Customer Satisfaction between below average governance and above average governance.\" class=\"wp-image-94859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png 1028w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=300&amp;h=124 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=768&amp;h=317 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=1024&amp;h=422 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=264&amp;h=109 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=500&amp;h=206 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=150&amp;h=62 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=468&amp;h=193 468w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<div id=\"94859-modal\" class=\"image-modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"image-dialog-title\"><div class=\"image-modal__overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-a11y-dialog-hide><\/div><div class=\"image-modal__content\" role=\"dialog\"><button class=\"image-modal__close-button\" type=\"button\" data-a11y-dialog-hide aria-label=\"Close this image dialog window\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 26 25\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" fill=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><rect x=\".626\" y=\"22.753\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(-45 .626 22.753)\"\/><rect x=\"2.747\" y=\".125\" width=\"32\" height=\"3\" rx=\"1.5\" transform=\"rotate(45 2.747 .125)\"\/><\/svg><\/button><h1 id=\"image-dialog-title\" class=\"screen-reader-text\">Image Modal<\/h1>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large prevent-download\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1028\" height=\"424\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Data graphic snippet titled &quot;AI Agent Outcomes by Governance Level&quot; comparing Time to ROI, AI Agent User Adoption, and Customer Satisfaction between below average governance and above average governance.\" class=\"wp-image-94859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png 1028w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=300&amp;h=124 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=768&amp;h=317 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=1024&amp;h=422 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=264&amp;h=109 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=500&amp;h=206 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=150&amp;h=62 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/AI-Agent-Outcomes-By-Governance-Level.png?w=468&amp;h=193 468w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1028px) 100vw, 1028px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-trend-in-action-asymbl\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Trend in action: Asymbl<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asymbl, a workforce orchestration company, experienced rapid growth in 2025, with candidate volume outpacing the recruiting team and applicant records scattered across disconnected systems. So it built Rosa, a digital recruiter agent that drafts job descriptions, screens candidates, schedules interviews, and sends offers. Here\u2019s the stack that makes it work: Rosa operates inside Slack, where recruiting already works. Underneath, Data 360 provides a centralized knowledge foundation so Rosa runs on consistent, trusted records rather than scattered ones. MuleSoft pulls in Github, Hira, and Google Drive so recruiters aren\u2019t hunting across systems mid-pipeline. The result? Asymbl hired 100 people in 100 days with Rosa&#8217;s support, at 96% retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-explore-further\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Explore further<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Read the full <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/products\/resources\/state-of-agentic-ai-in-enterprise\/?d=cta-body-promo-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">State of Agentic AI in the Enterprise report<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/blog\/playbook\/agentic-ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Become an Agentic Enterprise: A Refreshed Step-By-Step Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Methodology:<\/strong> Data are from a double-blind survey of 2,025 agentic AI decision-makers across 20 countries on five continents, fielded May 14\u201328, 2026. All respondents influence AI agent purchasing decisions. Respondents are grouped as deployed (30%), piloting (47%), or evaluating (23%); most findings reflect the 30% that have fully deployed (\u201cdeployers\u201d). All outcome metrics \u2014 including time to ROI and the 29% customer-satisfaction lift \u2014 are self-reported. Unless otherwise noted, figures reflect the full respondent base; percentages are rounded and may not sum to 100%.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Agent deployments more than doubled over the past year, according to Salesforce\u2019s platform data, and those agents are driving real results. Retailers running AI agents grew online sales at four times the rate of those that didn\u2019t. For the many organizations now deploying their first agents, that raises a sharper question: Among those [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":94857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sf_subhead":"","sf_i18n_disclaimer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"alternateThumbnailId":0,"sf_product_cta_id":0,"sf_show_toc":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"sf_content_type":[21231],"sf_theme":[21184],"sf_topic":[21212,20528,21187],"sf_product":[],"sf_industry":[],"sf_role":[],"sf_multimedia_asset":[],"sf_location":[1798],"sf_collection":[2395],"sf_visibility":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-94845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","sf_content_type-snapshot-research","sf_theme-agentic-ai","sf_topic-agentic-enterprise","sf_topic-agents","sf_topic-ai","sf_location-global","sf_collection-research"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.2 (Yoast SEO v28.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Agentic AI Study: Preparation Beats Speed for ROI - Salesforce<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Key Takeaways Being first to deploy AI agents doesn&#039;t mean being first to see returns. 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