Freshworks Report Reveals Massive Opportunity for IT Leaders Leveraging AI
- IT professionals embracing AI to boost efficiency
- Companies in the U.S. could save over $15,000 per IT employee each year using AI
- Senior IT leaders leading the way in AI adoption
- Millennials and Gen Z IT pros actively using AI
- None.
The annual “State of Workplace Technology” report finds IT is managing
SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH) today released the findings of its second annual “State of Workplace Technology” report, which found a
AI is poised to save companies time and money
While IT departments are expected to grow this year2, it doesn’t mean they need to spend more. Freshworks found that companies in the U.S. could save over
- IT professionals are managing more software than ever and see an opportunity to simplify. The number of software applications on IT teams’ work computers increased
71% over the last year. Despite this, IT professionals only use one-third of the applications available to them daily (just eight out of 24), compared to half in 2022. - IT teams put efficiency first. They rank ease of use and efficiency as top attributes of business software, ahead of feature suite, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
- AI eliminates repetitive tasks. IT pros agree AI frees up time otherwise spent on repetitive tasks (
49% ) and allows them to do more complex, meaningful work (45% ). Moreover, IT pros estimate they could save more than five hours per week by using AI to complete repetitive tasks.
“I’ve had a front-row seat to the mobile and cloud revolutions, and witnessed how both delivered powerful efficiencies that enabled IT teams to improve performance—without expanding costs,” said Dennis Woodside, Freshworks president. “We’re already seeing customers like Smartsheet and Sony Music Entertainment who plan to harness AI to substantially improve employee service, while saving on costs from legacy software accrued over time.”
Senior IT leaders are bought into AI
Directors and above report higher use and organizational support for AI. Notable findings include:
- AI use is generally encouraged at work. Seven in ten (
70% ) IT directors and above say that use of AI is actively encouraged by their company, compared to44% of team leads/managers and21% of individual contributors. - IT leaders are leading the way to adopt AI. More than nine in ten (
91% ) IT directors and above currently use AI to support their workload, compared to66% of team leads/managers and33% of individual contributors. - There’s a youth AI movement. Newer generations are playing a pivotal role in AI adoption. Eight in ten (
81% ) of Millennial and75% of Gen Z IT pros currently use AI to support their workload, compared to57% of Gen X and27% of Boomers.
“Business leaders adopt software for good reasons—to improve operations—but over time may face an unintended consequence of accruing more applications than they need,” said Prasad Ramakrishnan, CIO at Freshworks. “Smart, simplified technology, paired with the power of AI, will do more to drive productivity and efficiency than legacy software has done in decades. IT leaders who embrace automation and technological agility to reduce complexity will be the ones whose teams come out ahead.”
See the “State of Workplace Technology” report in full here. To learn more about Freshservice for AI-first IT Service Management, visit freshworks.com.
Methodology
Freshworks conducted this research using an online survey prepared by Method Research and distributed by RepData among n=2,000 adults ages 18+ that work full time as IT professionals, with n=500 U.S., n=500 U.K., n=100 the Netherlands, and n=150 in each of the following six countries: Germany, France, Singapore, Australia/NZ, India, and the United Arab Emirates. The sample was balanced by gender, age, and company size, with an internationally representative geographic spread of respondents. Data was collected from April 27 to May 17, 2023.
Time savings using AI in the U.S. was calculated by taking the median salary of computer and IT pros in the U.S. (
About Freshworks
Freshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH) creates business software anyone can use. Purpose-built for IT, customer support, and sales and marketing teams, our AI-boosted products are designed to let everyone work more efficiently and deliver more value for immediate business impact. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Freshworks operates around the world to serve more than 65,000 customers, including American Express, Blue Nile, Bridgestone, Databricks, Fila, Klarna, and OfficeMax. For the freshest company news visit www.freshworks.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
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Media Contact:
Erika Howard
pr@freshworks.com
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1An increase from 14 different applications in 2022 to 24 in 2023.
2Gartner Press Release, Gartner Survey Finds