If you’re leading or supporting a B2B sales or marketing team, you’ve probably heard about AI “co-pilots” that promise to unlock revenue, save time, and generally make your life easier. If you’re looking at Clari Co-Pilot, you want to know: will this actually pay off, or is it just another shiny tool your reps will ignore?
This is for the people who have to justify the spend, prove results, and avoid buying shelfware. Here’s how to cut through the hype and get a clear sense of whether Clari Co-Pilot will deliver real ROI for your team.
Step 1: Get Clear on What Clari Co-Pilot Actually Does (and Doesn’t)
Before you start measuring anything, you should have a no-nonsense understanding of what Clari Co-Pilot offers:
What it claims to do: - Transcribes and analyzes sales calls automatically - Surfaces action items and next steps - Flags risks and deal signals in call conversations - Integrates with CRMs and sales tools
What it doesn’t magically do: - Fix a broken sales process - Make bad sales reps good - Replace real coaching or pipeline discipline
What to ignore:
Don’t get distracted by vague promises like “transforms sales culture” or “empowers teams to win.” Focus on the stuff you can measure: saved time, improved win rates, faster ramp, or more accurate forecasting.
Pro tip:
Ask the vendor for specific examples or data from companies like yours—not just big logos on the website.
Step 2: Map Out the Real Costs
ROI means “return on investment”—so you need the investment side nailed down.
Obvious costs: - License fees (per user, per month/year) - Implementation or onboarding fees
Hidden costs: - Time your admins, ops, or reps spend on setup and learning - Integration work with your CRM or dialer - Change management (getting people to actually use it)
What to do:
Get a detailed quote. Ask about price breaks for annual vs. monthly. Ask if you’ll need professional services. Talk to a customer who’s been through rollout.
Don’t assume:
Don’t think “it’s just software, it’ll be easy.” New tools almost always demand more time from ops and sales enablement than you’d expect.
Step 3: Decide Which Outcomes Matter Most
Different teams care about different things. Be honest about what would actually make a difference for your business.
Common goals for B2B teams: - More accurate CRM data (less manual entry, fewer errors) - Faster rep ramp time (especially for complex sales) - Higher win rates on deals - More pipeline coverage or velocity - Less time wasted on admin work
What’s realistic:
If your team already has call recording and does regular deal reviews, expect incremental improvements. If you’ve never transcribed a call or have zero coaching, there’s more upside.
Ignore:
Don’t chase vanity metrics like “number of calls analyzed” unless you can tie it to revenue or productivity.
Step 4: Establish Your Baseline
Before anyone signs a contract, measure where you are today. Otherwise, you’ll never know if things actually got better.
How to do it: - Check your CRM for current data entry completeness/accuracy. - Time how long reps spend on call notes or admin after calls. - Look at win rates by stage, ramp time for new reps, and forecasting accuracy. - Ask your sales managers how coaching is happening today (if at all).
Get specific:
Write these numbers down. Even a rough estimate is better than nothing.
Pro tip:
If you’re running a pilot, split your team and compare outcomes directly.
Step 5: Estimate the Potential Gains
Now that you know where you are, map out what could realistically improve. This is where most ROI calculators go off the rails—but you can keep it grounded.
A simple approach: - Time savings: If Co-Pilot saves each rep 30 minutes a day on notes/admin, multiply by number of reps and their loaded hourly rate. - Data quality: If your CRM accuracy jumps and forecasting gets better, what’s that worth in missed pipeline or wasted effort? - Win rates: If your win rate edges up 2%, what’s that worth per year based on your average deal size and pipeline?
Avoid magical thinking:
Don’t use vendor “average lift” numbers unless you know how they were calculated. Use your own math.
Example:
- 20 reps x 30 minutes/day = 10 hours/day saved
- 10 hours x $50/hr (fully loaded) = $500/day
- $500 x 220 workdays = $110,000/year
If your annual Co-Pilot cost is $60,000, that’s a potential 83% ROI just on time savings, and that’s before you count any improved win rates.
Step 6: Run a Pilot (If You Can)
Don’t just take their word for it—see how it works in your actual workflow.
Pilot best practices: - Start with a motivated team or segment. - Set clear goals (X% reduction in admin time, Y% better CRM accuracy, etc.). - Get feedback from reps and managers—not just admins.
What to watch for: - Is data flowing where you need it, or are there integration hiccups? - Do reps actually use it, or do they revert to old habits? - Is the coaching/reporting useful, or just more noise?
Pro tip:
Beware of “pilot fatigue.” Keep the test period tight (30-60 days) and measure the results honestly.
Step 7: Measure and Decide
After your pilot (or after a few months live), compare your actuals to your baseline and estimates.
Ask: - Did you get the time savings you expected? - Is CRM data better? Are forecasts more accurate? - Did win rates or ramp times move at all? - Is anyone actually using the insights, or is it just another dashboard?
What to ignore:
Don’t get caught up in anecdotal praise (“I love it!”) unless it’s backed by numbers. On the flip side, don’t dismiss it if adoption is slow at first—that’s normal.
If it falls short:
Don’t be shy about pushing back on the vendor. Ask for more training, tighter integrations, or—if needed—a partial refund or contract adjustment.
What Actually Matters (and What Doesn’t)
Worth caring about: - Real time saved on admin work and call notes - Tangible improvements in pipeline quality or win rates - Sales managers spending less time chasing down data
Not worth obsessing over: - Fancy AI features you don’t use - Call analytics “insights” no one acts on - Number of integrations (if you only need one or two)
Don’t fall for:
“Everyone else is buying it” logic. Your team, your process, your numbers.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
At the end of the day, ROI is about spending $1 and getting more than $1 back—whether that’s in time, revenue, or improved accuracy. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Start with a small test, measure what matters, and keep it honest. If Clari Co-Pilot moves the needle, great. If not, move on—there’s always another tool around the corner.