With his expertise in CRM implementation (including AI) and his position on HubSpot's AI Partner Advisory Board, Eric provides unique guidance to business leaders navigating their initial AI adoption.
Read below for the highlights, or watch our chat with Eric over on LinkedIn.
Making AI Adoption Feel Safe
Are you excited about the potential of AI but unsure how to implement it safely in your business? You're not alone. Many organisations want to harness AI's power but struggle with where to begin and how to ensure responsible adoption.
The good news? You don't need to reinvent your governance wheel. The key is applying your existing frameworks to this new technology.
Applying Your Existing Governance to AI
"I think the key is to not treat AI as a completely new beast with its own set of unfathomable rules," notes Eric, Principal Consultant and Co-Founder at BabelQuest. "The reality is, the principles of good data governance and security that businesses already have in place absolutely apply to how we use AI."
Consider these practical applications within platforms like HubSpot:
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For GDPR compliance: When using AI-powered segmentation tools or email content generation, be vigilant about consent boundaries. Are your AI tools respecting user preferences? Is AI-generated content inadvertently incorporating personal data in ways that violate compliance?
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For information security: Apply existing access control principles. Who on your team should have permission to use specific AI features? If you're using tools like NotebookLM for project planning, ensure only relevant team members can access potentially sensitive client information.
Making Guidelines Tangible
Abstract policies aren't enough. Teams need concrete examples tied to their daily CRM activities:
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Instead of simply saying "follow GDPR," specify: "When using HubSpot's AI to personalise emails, always double-check you're only using data from contacts who've explicitly consented to that communication type."
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Reinforce that human oversight remains paramount: "You are still accountable for what you communicate. If the AI got it wrong, you have to spot that and rectify it. The AI is your assistant; you cannot delegate responsibility or accountability for your job to it."
Rethinking Agentic AI: They Don't Replace the Role
When we talk about agentic AI—AI systems that can take independent actions to achieve specific goals—there's often a misconception that these digital agents should replace entire roles. But this thinking misses the mark on how to leverage their true potential.
Understanding Agentic AI in CRM Environments
"The idea of AI as a 'digital employee' in a fully accountable role is, I think, a bit of a red herring right now," explains Eric. "Senior roles and most operational roles carry responsibility and accountability, these are not so suitable for replacing with digital workers if that accountability and responsibility rolls back up to the CEO for everything they do."
Instead, think of agentic AI as a specialised assistant that can independently handle well-defined processes while remaining under human oversight. These AI agents can:
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Proactively manage data workflows: Rather than just responding to commands, agentic AI can monitor your CRM for specific triggers and automatically initiate data enrichment processes, pulling relevant information from approved sources when new leads enter your system.
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Autonomously prepare meeting summaries: AI agents can listen to customer conversations, identify action items, and organise follow-up tasks in your CRM without requiring manual intervention for each step.
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Intelligently route and prioritise inquiries: By understanding the content and urgency of incoming customer communications, agentic AI can make decisions about how to categorise, assign, and flag items for human attention.
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Maintain ongoing relationship intelligence: More than just analysing past data, agentic AI can continuously monitor customer interactions across channels, building comprehensive relationship insights that humans can tap into when needed.
Setting Proper Boundaries
The key difference with agentic AI is its ability to make certain decisions independently—but those boundaries need clear definition:
"One thing that could be useful is to think of AI Agents, Digital workers as your super-efficient CRM 'temp'" suggests Eric. They excel at defined processes but shouldn't be making judgment calls that affect customer relationships or strategic direction.
For each agentic AI implementation, establish:
- Specific domains where the agent can operate independently
- Clear escalation paths for scenarios requiring human judgment
- Regular review processes to evaluate the agent's performance and decision quality
- Transparency mechanisms so humans understand what actions the agent has taken
The Real Benefits of This Approach
When implemented strategically, agentic AI delivers distinct advantages:
- Continuous operation: Agents can work around the clock, ensuring no opportunities fall through cracks
- Process consistency: Every task is handled according to your defined best practices
- Intelligent prioritisation: Humans get involved precisely when and where their judgment is most valuable
- Scalability without proportional headcount growth: Handle increased volume without overwhelming your team
"For us, and for our clients, it's about leveraging AI to make our teams smarter and more effective, not to replace the essential human element in building strong customer relationships and driving strategic growth," explains Eric.
Moving Forward with Confidence
The AI landscape continues to evolve rapidly, but by focusing on safety through familiar governance frameworks and strategic application as an augmentation tool, your business can begin to harness its power effectively.
Remember that AI adoption isn't primarily a technological challenge—it's a cultural one. Success comes from thoughtful implementation that prioritises human oversight while leveraging AI's unique capabilities to enhance, rather than replace, your team's expertise.
Need guidance on implementing AI within your CRM strategy? Contact our team to discuss how we can help you navigate this exciting new territory.
