Ask almost any business team where their time goes, and you’ll hear a familiar answer: a big chunk of it disappears into admin. For a sales team this means quoting, pricing, deal approvals and internal reporting, pulling information from disparate systems, plus the time it takes to prepare for and recap meetings manually. We saw the same pattern across our own Benelux Sales team. We knew if we wanted to help our customers navigate their own AI journeys, we had to start by improving how we worked ourselves.
Our approach
We launched a program called “Powered by AI.” It was never about pushing new software or tools. The focus was the people and the change management related to the way we work.
We set two simple rules:
- Keep it practical. We dropped the one-off presentations and AI trainings and ran regular, short, hands-on sessions where we worked on real tasks, together. This was a deliberate choice. Cisco’s own research into AI in the workplace found that people learn AI best through curiosity-driven, hands-on experimentation, not through theory. Learning by doing is exactly the muscle we set out to build.
- Leaders go first. Our data shows: when a manager uses AI, their team is twice as likely to do the same. So, our sales leaders , lead every single hands-on session.
Our results
After the first three months, we surveyed more than half of our sales and technical teams. The feedback was clear.
- We saved time. Sales teams are saving around 7.7 hours a week. Technical teams are saving 8.6 hours.
- The tools work. Using our in-house, secure AI assistant for research and content generation saves us about four hours a week. A network design tool that automatically builds topologies saves the technical team over an hour on each design.
- Confidence is up. Before we started, 62% of the team felt comfortable using AI. Now that number is 75%.
- The approach is sticking. Today, our region shows some of the highest AI adoption rates in EMEA, a clear sign that the model works.
What we learned along the way
We hit a few bumps, and we want to share them so you can avoid them.
- Data matters. Put poor information into an AI tool, and you’ll get poor results. Good data hygiene keeps the AI accurate and reduces hallucinations.
- Don’t overwhelm the team. We started with too many tools, and it created confusion. Narrowing the list and offering clear guidance on which tool to use for which task made all the difference.
- Habits take time. You cannot show someone a tool once and expect them to use it. The real secret was constant, small, hands-on practice.
Why this matters
We don’t just talk about AI solutions and how we build the critical infrastructure for the AI era. We use AI every day. By cutting the admin work, we’ve freed up real time to act as genuine business partners for our customers. That’s the heart of it: technology should give people more room to do the work that matters most.
And we haven’t stopped there. None of this would be possible without the tools behind it. Cisco continues to deliver some of the most innovative AI capabilities available, with new updates and features arriving all the time. That pace of innovation keeps our teams at the leading edge and gives us more to build on with every release
Looking ahead
The transformation is ongoing, and every team’s path will look a little different.
None of this happens alone. Behind the program is a first-movers core team who drive content creation for the sessions and keep up-to-date with the latest AI offerings from Cisco IT. Along with our leaders, cross-functional volunteers (AI Ambassadors) share what they’re learning and help others build their own AI skills. It’s their curiosity, and their shared desire to make things better and step out of the status quo, that makes this possible.
What stays constant is the goal. More work gets done with AI, leaving us with more time to create value, and a team that grows more confident with every session. We’re continuing to build on what’s working, expand it further, and keep looking ahead. The time we reclaimed is only the beginning.
