AI is proving an invaluable accelerant for HR and sales teams

If your sales and HR teams aren’t using AI yet, they could get left behind. This is one of the key findings from a new report from Deloitte, which investigates how AI and automation are being adopted by global organisations.

In the competitive Australian business landscape, time is money. The ability to act fast can make all the difference to a deal’s success; while, conversely, hours lost to the manual drafting, routing, and chasing of agreements can lead to failure. 

According to new research from Deloitte, leading Australian organisations are getting on the front foot – proactively accelerating deal velocity through automation and AI adoption. In fact, as the Capitalizing on AI report shows, those that have implemented these technologies have saved 18 hours per agreement, representing a 34% end-to-end reduction in the agreement cycle time.

The report finds that sales and HR teams are among the biggest beneficiaries of these AI-powered time savings. Why? They typically interact with external stakeholders – including prospects and candidates – at critical moments, where friction incurs a high cost. For these teams, AI isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a tool for removing this friction and adding new value along the way.

In HR, it’s all about expediting and enhancing the candidate experience

In the race for Australia’s top talent, speed is a critical differentiator. And it’s why HR departments have emerged as big winners in the shift toward automation. The data shows that these teams experience an average 45% time savings across agreement management processes. 

By deploying AI-assisted drafting and automated routing, particularly in the high-volume processing of standardised documents like offer letters and NDAs, HR teams realise a range of benefits including:

• Faster turnarounds: Shortening the gap between a verbal offer and a signed contract

• Improved accuracy: Reducing clerical errors that can damage a brand’s professional image during onboarding

• Candidate experience: Creating a smoother, digital-first engagement that reflects a modern, tech-forward workplace

In sales, it’s about accelerating revenue and renewals

For sales teams, every hour spent on paperwork is an hour not spent selling. The data shows that sales functions can realise a 43% time saving by implementing AI-enabled workflows. The impact here is felt most acutely in contract creation, where standardised templates and pre-filled data eliminate the need for manual entry.

It’s about more than just time savings, though. According to the report, sales teams report ROI in other areas including:

• Revenue uplift: By making renewal management more efficient with AI, organisations report a 1–2% incremental revenue uplift

• Reduced friction: By integrating AI tools directly into existing CRMs, teams can generate and track agreements without leaving the platforms they use daily

• Deal velocity: Organisations with mature digital capabilities report significantly fewer contracting-related deal delays

Across the board, it’s about shifting from paper-pushing to problem-solving

Amidst all the hype about AI, some leaders express concern that the technology will replace local staff. The Deloitte report counters this claim, with the data showing that efficiency gains are driving a strategic shift towards higher-value work. So, instead of employees being replaced by AI, staff are instead able to focus on more complex negotiations, edge-case risk scenarios, and strategic relationship management.

For the 13% of Australian firms still operating manually, the choice is becoming stark. As their peers use AI to reclaim nearly half of their administrative week and reinvest it into growth, the hours lost are no longer just a nuisance – they represent a competitive disadvantage.

For more of the ways that AI is delivering value in organisations today, read the full report now. 

Alternatively, explore how Docusign IAM for Sales and Docusign IAM for HR are delivering real, AI-powered value for organisations today.