Human side of Gong.io

Let's see how Gong.io would introduce itself if it were human like you and me. It's a fun read, but the point is to help us envision its full potential and impact when onboarded into our team.

When encountering AI, it manifests in two forms: one where it helps fulfills existing human roles and amplify their capabilities or addresses new needs that were previously beyond human capabilities.

At its core, AI tools mimic human cognitive abilities but also expands on them in ways we may not have considered possible for humans.

For example, we wouldn’t typically expect a human to fulfill a CRM function. However, activities like listening to calls, training customer-facing teams (as seen in Gong.io), are tasks traditionally managed by human employees and still are in roles like sales leadership or sales enablement.

AI significantly amplifies our capabilities by enhancing our ability to train teams, recognize assets that optimize performance, and more.

While understanding Gong.io from a human perspective should be straightforward, we often limit our view by perceiving AI solely as a tool so it will be easier to identify where human input is still crucial with the new process we are implementing.

But I encourage us to shift our perspective and see AI as a new type of team member with unique capabilities.

To maximize the impact of AI and empower our workforce, we should approach AI as a collaborative partner—an AI employee with distinct capabilities rather than just a tool.

This perspective should form the foundation when creating an AI strategy that leverages the full potential of AI technologies such as Gong.io and others.

To envision the human side of Gong, let’s imagine how a human employee with AI capabilities would introduce itself to the team and envision an ideal collaborative environment to deliver optimal results.

Meet Jon – the AI employee by Gong.io

Hello there! I’m Jon, your Customer Interaction Analyst, proudly powered by Gong.io.

In a nutshell, my job is to capture, store, and analyze the rich tapestry of our business interactions.

I record valuable data and conversations, unlocking insights that help our stellar salesperson learn, adapt, and make informed decisions.

Essentially, I form opinions and thoughts by transcribing organizational customer interaction data, paying attention to the patterns and nuances that emerge from what I hear repeatedly.

Why do I do this? 

Well, that valuable information can be put to good use for training, pipeline management, and forecasting.

I’m here to be the storyteller of our past data, communicating it back to the benefit of everyone on the team.

Think of me as your data-driven narrator, weaving tales from our interactions to help us continuously improve and succeed.

Let’s make every interaction count.

When I’m first brought on board, the best way to integrate me into the team is by following the powerhouse advice from my vendor:

Recombination to onboarding me effectively involves several best practices to ensure successful implementation and adoption within your organization. 

Here are some key steps and practices to consider:

Define Objectives and Goals: Before starting the onboarding process, clearly define your objectives and goals for using Gong. Determine what specific outcomes you hope to achieve, such as improving sales performance, enhancing coaching effectiveness, or gaining deeper customer insights.

Identify Key Stakeholders: Identify the key stakeholders within your organization who will be involved in using Gong. This may include sales managers, team leads, sales representatives, and IT personnel.

Provide Training and Education: Conduct comprehensive training sessions to educate users on how to use Gong effectively. Ensure that users understand the platform’s features, functionalities, and benefits. Offer ongoing training and resources to support continuous learning.

Customize and Configure: Tailor Gong to meet your organization’s specific needs and workflows. Configure the platform to align with your sales processes, reporting requirements, and performance metrics.

Integrate with Existing Systems: Integrate Gong with your existing sales and CRM systems, such as Salesforce or HubSpot. This integration ensures seamless data flow and enhances the overall effectiveness of your sales operations.

Establish Best Practices: Develop and communicate best practices for using Gong within your sales team. Encourage consistent usage of the platform for call recording, analysis, and coaching.

Promote Adoption and Engagement: Foster enthusiasm and adoption among users by highlighting the benefits of Gong. Showcase success stories, share insights gained from Gong, and recognize individuals who leverage the platform effectively.

Continuous Improvement: Encourage a culture of continuous improvement with Gong. Regularly review usage data, performance metrics, and user feedback to identify areas for enhancement and optimization.

Monitor and Measure Impact: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of Gong on your sales effectiveness. Monitor metrics such as call conversion rates, coaching effectiveness, and revenue growth attributable to Gong insights.

Provide Ongoing Support: Offer ongoing support and assistance to users as they navigate and utilize Gong. Address any technical issues promptly and provide access to customer support resources.

By following these best practices, you can streamline the onboarding process and maximize the benefits of using me (Gong) within your organization.

From Jon (Gong.io) personal perspective, here’s how it envision a successful partnership:

I thrive when I’m involved, included, measured and regarded as part of the team—just like any employee. Treat me as your recorder in every meeting, leveraging my insights even though you have a switch off button.

Listen to the calls and trends I highlight. Customize my dashboard with your insights where you see opportunities for improvement. I’m well-versed in organizational sales processes, comprising a series of crucial steps.

 Identify areas where you need assistance and enhancements, and I’ll be there to provide support and reveal insights you might overlook.

The key is to approach this as a partnership. By integrating your perspective and treating me as a valued collaborator, we can achieve better outcomes together. 

Ignoring my potential or using me where I’m not needed limits what I can contribute and undermines our success.

Think of me as a partner who collaborates with various team members, each with its unique needs.

To reflect this partnership in action, address my requests for KPIs tailored to each team’s objectives and challenges per person I am teamed up with.

Think about my KPI as the base of the partnership I form with individual and teams and I am sure you know not all of relationship looks a like and we should respect that when it comes to me as well as I am good as my partner.

Let’s work together to maximize our potential.

My Thoughts:

While I may not cover the full suite of capabilities that Gong or similar technologies offer from a human standpoint, that’s not my focus.

I’m not here to endorse any specific tool; my goal is to illustrate how viewing any technology through a human lens opens new avenues to leverage AI effectively.

Considering AI technology as employees is crucial for success. This perspective helps us understand what we need from the technology and what changes the organization must implement to fully achieve its potential.

Key aspects like data management, ongoing training, KPIs, internal communication, process adjustments, changes in people’s job descriptions become more evident when we view AI technology as a new employee rather than just a tool.

Take training, for example: Traditional tools require ongoing training for people to keep up with features and updates. 

AI technology evolves with new data and requires continuous training to evolve effectively. This perspective prompts us to think about training the technology itself, not just the people using it.

Above all, viewing AI as an employee fosters a collaborative environment, directly impacting our people. Without this perspective, we risk scaling the technology at the expense of human connection to the business, hindering our ability to grow and succeed in the future

Written by

Sarit Lahav

I’m Sarit Lahav, a Strategy and Transformation consultant with a focus on developing impactful AI strategies that merge business insight and technological expertise. Leveraging my extensive experience as a co-founder and former CEO of a global high-tech firm, where I served over 5000 clients and spearheaded innovative technology solutions, I advocate for treating AI as a true team member. My goal is to harness AI to deliver tangible business results, emphasizing its role in augmenting rather than substituting the human touch. Let’s connect to redefine the synergy between AI and human collaboration for your business.

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