A study examining MedTech sales professionals revealed that AI users exceed their sales targets threefold compared to non-users. This trend aligns with broader industry data, such as a Salesforce analysis showing AI-equipped sales teams achieve quota 3.7 times more often than peers without these tools.
The MedTech survey revealed that most sales teams are not using AI for strategic purposes, such as identifying opportunities or researching accounts. Instead, AI is primarily used to complete administrative tasks like drafting emails and summarizing meetings.
This disconnect raises concerns about where AI creates the greatest value. The survey found that only 36% of respondents use AI at work on a regular or occasional basis, while nearly two-thirds of sales reps report no AI use at all.
Concerns around security, privacy, and compliance are partly to blame, with 60% of non-AI users citing company prohibitions on AI use. However, another explanation may lie in the fact that many MedTech industry challenges are strategic, not administrative.
Administrative Tasks vs. Strategic Decisions
While technologies like CRM systems and automation tools have improved visibility and reduced manual work, many sales reps are still spending large portions of their week on administrative tasks. Among AI users, most reported saving between four and six hours per week on such tasks.
Read Also: AI Integration Risks in Medical Device Development
However, the survey also found that sales reps would rather use their time to prepare for calls and meetings, or to engage with customers and prospects. This suggests that AI’s greatest value lies in removing distractions and allowing reps to focus on high-value activities.
Relationship-building remains a fundamentally human activity, and AI’s role is to support this process by providing context and insight. The challenge is not just about productivity, but about understanding where AI can create the greatest value and providing ways to unlock that value.
The MedTech survey found that 84% of reps lose time to nonproductive tasks, and that issues like account prioritization and lack of market insights are major obstacles to hitting quota. To succeed, sales teams need detailed, data-driven guidance on where to focus their efforts.
For instance, if a surgery is cancelled at the last minute, a sales rep might use the newly found time to catch up on administrative tasks. However, with the right AI tools, they could instead identify high-potential accounts or opportunities that deserve attention.
This distinction represents a fundamental shift in how commercial organizations can use AI to create value. Rather than just completing tasks more quickly, AI can help sales reps determine which opportunities are most worth pursuing.
Read Also: AI tools help medical device firms spot risks faster
The Limitations of Current AI Tools
Most AI tools excel at language-based tasks like summarizing conversations or drafting messages. However, MedTech commercialization operates in a complex environment that requires a deeper understanding of context and the market.
The challenge is not a lack of technology or data, but rather turning fragmented information into actionable insight. The next evolution of AI will likely involve systems that proactively find opportunities, identify risks, and recommend next steps before a sales rep even knows what to ask.
For MedTech companies, context can mean understanding not just who a physician is, but also where they practice, how decisions are made in their health system, and what contracts are in place. With this context, AI can help teams synthesize data and make better decisions.
The future of AI in MedTech is not about replacing the judgment of experienced sales professionals, but about enhancing it with the right tools and context. According to the survey, 63% of respondents would spend newly found time catching up on calls and emails, but with the right AI tools, they could instead focus on high-potential opportunities.
