Proton.ai on Wednesday announced the launch of a “conversational” AI assistant that aims to automate time-consuming tasks faced by distribution sales reps.
"Pronto," company officials said, allows sales reps to complete multi-step tasks in seconds with just a simple prompt — without switching tools or re-entering data. Proton.ai said that reps are already using the AI assistant to take notes on calls, draft emails, check on stocking levels and potential alternatives, and identify customer spending patterns and product and purchasing trends.
The company said the system could help increase the amount of time reps are able to spend selling; officials highlighted one estimate that showed other tasks instead account for more than two-thirds of reps’ time.
“The future of sales in distribution isn’t buried in dashboards or tangled up in admin,” Proton.ai CEO Benjamin Cohen said in a statement. “It’s reps spending more time with customers while AI handles the busywork in the background: drafting emails, keying in orders, queuing up follow-ups."
