2027 READINESS CHECK

AI is making you faster. What will make you better?

AI is changing how customer-facing work gets done. As more tasks become automated, the skills that set exceptional practitioners apart are changing, too.

Discover where you’re strong, where you can grow, and what to focus on next.

5 questions · Free · No email required

Getting more done doesn’t mean delivering more value.

Our research confirms what many customer-facing professionals already experience: AI is becoming part of everyday work, and it’s helping people get more done.

91%
Use AI daily or more frequently

AI is already part of the job.

82%
Report significant or dramatic productivity gains with AI

The individual benefits are real to practitioners.

50%
Have used AI outside approved tools

People are forging their own path.

Source: Vitally Shadow AI Study, October 2026 (n=66 self-selected respondents)

AI proficiency is quickly becoming a baseline. The bigger opportunity is what we do with that capability—and the skills we develop to turn it into meaningful customer outcomes.

Beyond AI Adoption
From AI activity to meaningful impact

Are we measuring AI activity or actual impact?

AI makes it easier than ever to produce something. But when execution becomes effortless, it’s also easier to skip the most important question: What are we actually trying to accomplish?

Tomas Williams, Senior Manager of Customer Intelligence & Operations at Vitally, challenges the tendency to mistake AI usage for progress. The real opportunity isn’t to do more work with AI. It’s to use it more intentionally to create value for customers.

Beyond AI Adoption
What to do with the time AI gives back

The skills that matter most were never the administrative ones.

AI is taking on more of the work that used to consume a CSM’s day. But getting those hours back only matters if we reinvest them in work that makes a difference.
‍
Nina Wilkinson, Partner at ScaleUp CS, argues that the future belongs to practitioners who understand their customers’ businesses, exercise sound judgment, and solve real problems. Those are the capabilities that turn greater efficiency into better customer outcomes.

Are we measuring AI activity or actual impact?

AI makes it easier than ever to produce something. But when execution becomes effortless, it’s also easier to skip the most important question: What are we actually trying to accomplish?

Tomas Williams, Senior Manager of Customer Intelligence & Operations at Vitally, challenges the tendency to mistake AI usage for progress. The real opportunity isn’t to do more work with AI. It’s to use it more intentionally to create value for customers.

The skills that matter most were never the administrative ones.

AI is taking on more of the work that used to consume a CSM’s day. But getting those hours back only matters if we reinvest them in work that makes a difference.
‍
Nina Wilkinson, Partner at ScaleUp CS, argues that the future belongs to practitioners who understand their customers’ businesses, exercise sound judgment, and solve real problems. Those are the capabilities that turn greater efficiency into better customer outcomes.

AI proficiency is becoming the baseline. What will set you apart?

The next era of customer-facing work will demand more than knowing how to use AI. It will require a different set of capabilities, from owning customer outcomes and measuring value to exercising judgment and designing better ways of working.

Outcome Ownership

Connect daily work to measurable customer results.

Value Measurement

Prove business impact, not just activity.                


Systems Thinking

Solve problems across people, processes, and data.

Technical Fluency

Understand systems, workflows, and AI opportunities.

Business Judgment

Challenge assumptions and make better decisions.

Take the 2027 readiness assessment.

Five realistic scenarios. Three minutes. A clearer picture of your strengths and where to focus your development.

Your readiness snapshot

Your next move starts here.

Your responses offer a reflection on your current practices, not a formal proficiency evaluation.

Skill
0/4
Your strongest area

Outcome Ownership

Your next development priority

Systems Thinking

Priority action appears here.

The way we work is changing. Keep growing with it.

Get practical insights and resources on developing the skills to deliver better customer outcomes.