Meet your new Sales Development Rep: how AI agents are revolutionizing sales engagement

This post is part of our “AI Agents in the Enterprise” series. Explore how IT, business operations, sales, and executive leaders can harness AI agents to transform their organizations. In this post, we demonstrate how AI agents can automate lead handling, CRM updates, and customer interactions to boost sales productivity. We wrote this article based on keynote sessions by Microsoft at the European Power Platform Conference 2025.

Sales teams are under more pressure than ever to do more with less; more leads, more personalization, more pipeline, all with fewer resources and tighter timelines. But what if your next top-performing Sales Development Rep (SDR) wasn’t a person at all?

Welcome to the era of AI agents: intelligent, autonomous digital coworkers that can research leads, qualify prospects, log CRM data, and even engage customers, without ever taking a coffee break. This isn’t science fiction. It’s already happening. And it’s transforming how sales teams operate, scale, and win.

The sales bottleneck: manual work is killing momentum 

Sales reps spend a staggering amount of time on non-selling tasks: 

• Logging CRM entries 
• Researching leads
• Writing follow-up emails
• Updating opportunity records 

These tasks are essential, but they’re also a drain on productivity. Every minute spent on admin is a minute not spent selling. As Ryan Cunningham, (Corporate Vice President, Power Platform Intelligent Applications at Microsoft), noted at the European Power Platform Conference, “Sellers don’t sell when they’re entering data. They sell when they’re talking to customers.

Enter AI agents: your always-on sales teammates 

AI agents go beyond traditional automation. They’re not just rule-based bots, they’re intelligent systems that can reason, act, and collaborate. Here’s what they can do for your sales team: 

• Auto-log CRM data: Capture meeting notes, email threads, and contact details without manual entry.
• Qualify leads: Research new prospects, score them based on intent and fit, and route them to the right rep.
• Engage customers: Respond to inquiries, recommend products, and even generate quotes, autonomously.
• Follow up: Send personalized emails, schedule meetings, and keep deals moving. 

And they do it all in real time, 24/7. 

Real-world example: Microsoft’s autonomous SDR

In one demo, Microsoft showcased an AI agent that intercepted a customer inquiry on a dealership website. Within seconds, the agent: 

• Responded with a personalized email
• Compared product options
• Referenced the customer’s previous purchase
• Asked clarifying questions
• Generated a quote
• Logged the opportunity in Dynamics 365 

All without human intervention. This isn’t just automation. It’s intelligent engagement at scale.

Why sales managers should care 

1. More time selling
   By offloading admin tasks to agents, reps can focus on what they do best: building relationships and closing deals.
2. Better data, better forecasts
   Agents ensure CRM data is complete, accurate, and up to date; giving you better visibility into pipeline health and performance. 

3. Faster lead response
   Agents can respond to inquiries instantly, even after hours, reducing lead decay and increasing conversion rates. 

4. Scalable personalization
   With access to customer history, preferences, and real-time data, agents can tailor every interaction, at scale.

How to deploy sales agents

You don’t need a PhD in AI to get started. With Microsoft Power Platform and Copilot Studio, you can: 

• Use prebuilt sales agents (e.g., for lead logging, opportunity updates) 
• Customize agents with your own data and workflows
• Connect to Dynamics 365, Outlook, Teams, and other systems
• Monitor agent performance and outcomes via the Copilot Hub 

And because it’s all built on Microsoft’s secure platform, you maintain full control and compliance. Do note that as agents take on more responsibility, governance becomes critical. So set up the right governance, trust, and control. We will tell you more about this in part 4.

Final thoughts: your sales team just got bigger

AI agents aren’t here to replace your reps, they’re here to empower them. Think of them as your digital SDRs: tireless, intelligent, and always ready to help. So the next time you’re planning headcount or pipeline coverage, ask yourself: What if your next top performer wasn’t a person, but an agent? Because in the future of sales, the best teams won’t just have great reps. They’ll have great agents, too.

Next in the series: AI agents and the future of work: a CEO/CFO guide to strategic transformation. 

Missed the previous one and looking for broader business applications of agents? Read more about it here: 10X your business outcomes: how AI agents are redefining operational efficiency.