The recent kickoff of our MOPs & RevOps Exchange series, “Reskilling & Upskilling RevOps & MOps Teams for AI-Driven Operations,” sparked a dynamic conversation among industry leaders about AI upskilling for operations teams. The virtual roundtable, brought together VPs and Directors of Marketing and Revenue Operations to share real-world experiences and perceptions around the evolving role of AI.
One of the core themes that emerged was the journey of integrating AI into daily workflows – not just for individual tasks, but as a catalyst for team transformation.
The Current State: Experimentation, Excitement, and a Healthy Dose of Caution
Attendees painted a picture of active experimentation. From leveraging AI for content creation and executive summaries to auditing MarTech stacks and even creating internal AI tools like custom GPTs for persona alignment, it’s clear that operations leaders are not just observing AI from the sidelines; they’re actively testing its capabilities.
However, this exploration isn’t without its challenges. Several participants highlighted the “hallucination” factor – AI providing incorrect or unsubstantiated information. This underscores a critical point: the human feedback loop remains indispensable. As one leader put it, “You can’t have the stuff without the human feedback loop.” There’s a shared understanding that while AI can automate and accelerate, human oversight, validation, and strategic input are paramount.
The discussion also touched upon the nuances of different AI tools. While some teams are using enterprise accounts like Gemini for security and compliance, others are exploring platforms like Jasper.ai for content, acknowledging the significant back-end work required to train these systems effectively on brand voice and specific knowledge. The sentiment was clear: AI is not a “plug and play” solution. It requires ongoing maintenance, training, and a strategic approach to governance.
The Human Element: From Bricklayers to Architects in AI Operations
A significant portion of the conversation revolved around how AI is reshaping roles. The consensus wasn’t that AI will replace jobs, but rather that it will transform them. One insightful analogy described the shift from “laying the bricks to making sure the bricks are straight.” Operations professionals are moving from being builders to becoming more like “chefs at the pass” – validating the output, ensuring quality, and making strategic adjustments.
This means an elevation of skills. Marketers and ops leaders are increasingly becoming analysts and strategists, using AI as a co-pilot. The experience, expertise, and wisdom gained over a career become even more valuable in discerning the quality of AI-generated work and guiding its application.
Future-Proofing Teams: Non-Negotiable AI Skills for MOPs & RevOps for the Next 12-18 Months
Looking ahead, the group identified key areas of focus for AI upskilling for RevOps MOps teams:
- Understanding Vendor AI Capabilities in MarTech: With AI being embedded into nearly every MarTech tool, a critical skill will be understanding how to maximize these built-in features and discern true value from hype.
- Developing Prompting Prowess (A Core RevOps AI Skill): While “prompt engineering” is emerging, the core skill is effective “prompting” – understanding how to ask AI the right questions, provide sufficient context, and iterate to get desired results. This is seen less as a niche role and more as a fundamental competency for everyone.
- Mastering Strategic Oversight & AI QA: As AI takes on more “doing,” the human role will increasingly focus on quality assurance, strategic direction, and ensuring AI outputs align with business goals and ethical considerations.
- Cultivating AI Ops Thinking for MOPs Success: While not every team is hiring dedicated “AI Ops” roles yet, the mindset is becoming crucial. This involves thinking about how to build, integrate, and manage AI-driven processes and even custom AI tools to solve specific business problems, like operationalizing buyer journey research.
The conversation highlighted a fascinating tension: while some are still cautiously dipping their toes into AI, others are already feeling their workflows fundamentally rewired by it. The path forward involves embracing AI not just for efficiency, but for effectiveness – using it to layer in deeper insights, better targeting, and more impactful outcomes.
Join the Conversation: The AI Upskilling Journey Continues
This roundtable was just the beginning. The “MOPs & RevOps Exchange” is a monthly series designed to tackle the most pressing AI-related challenges and opportunities for operations leaders. We’ll be covering topics like AI in data management, automating funnel insights, personalization at scale, and much more.
If you’re a MOps or RevOps leader looking to stay ahead of the curve, turn strategy into action, and connect with peers at the forefront of AI innovation, we invite you to join us.
Explore our upcoming roundtables and register for the next session in The MOPs & RevOps Exchange here: Register for Upcoming Roundtables
We look forward to continuing this conversation with you!
