In a recent episode of the Agentic AI Series, Akhil from Monetizely explores how AI is fundamentally changing enterprise software beyond basic automation. His presentation "How Agentic AI Is Rebuilding the Enterprise Stack" examines how core business applications like CRM, BI tools, Excel, and HR systems are evolving from tools that require human operation to autonomous systems with agency and decision-making capabilities.
The Fundamental Shift in Enterprise Software
When most executives think about AI in business, they typically imagine faster processes or enhanced automation. However, Akhil highlights a more profound transformation: "When people talk about AI changing business, they usually picture automation, smarter chatbots, faster workflows, maybe fewer people doing the same work. But what's really happening now is that the software itself is changing."
This represents a paradigm shift. Enterprise applications aren't just becoming faster versions of themselves—they're developing autonomy and agency. The core functionality and purpose of these tools are being reimagined, creating systems that don't just respond to human inputs but take initiative.
CRM: From Passive Database to Active Relationship Manager
Customer Relationship Management systems have traditionally served as repositories of customer data and interaction history. Their effectiveness, however, has always depended on consistent human input.
As Akhil points out: "CRM tools were built to track touchpoints and pipeline activity, but they only work if your people actually use them. Sales reps forget to log follow-ups. Support agents skip tagging cases. Marketing entirely misses campaign outcomes. And your CRM becomes a graveyard of half-finished entries."
With agentic AI, CRMs transform from passive data repositories to active systems that manage relationships independently:
- Auto-logging of every customer interaction
- Sentiment and urgency detection in communications
- Automated reminders, escalations, and follow-ups
- Autonomous updating of customer records
The result is not just improved efficiency but also consistency in relationship management. As Akhil emphasizes, "CRMs are shifting from passive databases to active systems that manage relationships for you."
Business Intelligence: From Reporting to Autonomous Analysis
Business intelligence tools have traditionally served as retrospective reporting systems. They help visualize what has already happened but require human analysis to derive insights and recommend actions.
Agentic AI is reversing this model: "Now, instead of you digging through reports, AI agents do that work for you," Akhil explains. These agents:
- Continuously monitor KPIs
- Identify unusual patterns automatically
- Investigate root causes
- Push recommendations to teams proactively
This transition represents "not just visualizing data. It is now delegating analysis," making BI tools active participants in decision-making rather than passive reporting tools.
Excel: From Manual Calculations to Goal-Oriented Models
Microsoft Excel remains "the most used enterprise tool on the planet," according to Akhil, but it has traditionally required extensive manual maintenance, especially for complex financial models.
Agentic AI transforms Excel from a formula-driven tool to a goal-oriented system: "Agentic AI lets you give Excel goals, not just formulas." This means Excel can:
- Track assumptions across multiple sheets
- Flag errors in real-time
- Automatically update models when external factors change
- Rebalance budgets based on policy shifts
As Akhil notes, "It's not about replacing Excel; it's about unlocking its full potential without all the manual grind."
HR and Operations: The Underappreciated Transformation
Perhaps the most dramatic yet underrecognized transformation is occurring in human resources and internal operations. Agentic AI is revolutionizing these traditionally people-intensive functions.
"Today, agentic HR roles can now handle employee onboarding, benefits administration, vacation requests, compliance tracking, performance queries, policy reminders, and routing of all the approvals. All of this without involving a human unless necessary," Akhil explains.
This shift enables HR to function continuously in the background, escalating to human attention only when truly needed. For companies still operating with traditional HR processes, Akhil warns: "If you are still running HR like it's 2012, you are about to get outpaced."
The Bigger Picture: Software With Agency
The common thread across these transformations is a fundamental change in how software operates. Enterprise applications are evolving from tools that require human direction to autonomous systems with agency.
"What do CRM, BI, Excel and HR all have in common?" asks Akhil. "They were all built using users to operate. Click, type, pull, export, submit. But now they are being rebuilt for agents. The interface is disappearing."
This represents software with autonomy—"not just logic, not just inputs, but agency." And the business impact is substantial. According to Akhil, companies are seeing:
- 10-20% gains in cost savings and revenue enablement
- 30-40% productivity improvements in HR
- CRM and support efficiencies saving hundreds of millions
- Finance and BI cycles compressed from weeks to hours
Getting Started With Agentic AI
For executives looking to implement agentic AI, Akhil recommends a systematic approach:
- Map your existing software stack
- Identify processes that still require manual human driving
- Assess which of these could be handled by an agent with the same tools and rules
- Start small, prove ROI, and scale
The urgency to act is clear in Akhil's warning: "Whether you move now or not, your competitors already are."
The New Paradigm: Hiring Digital Workers
The conclusion highlights perhaps the most profound shift in enterprise software. As applications become autonomous agents rather than passive tools, the relationship between businesses and their software fundamentally changes.
"CRM, BI, Excel, HR, they're not just going digital, they are all going autonomous," says Akhil. "And that means you are no longer buying tools, you are hiring digital workers."
This next phase of software evolution isn't about doing more—it's about "doing less manually and scaling smarter." For executives, this means rethinking not just how work gets done, but who—or what—is doing it.
By embracing agentic AI across the enterprise stack, companies can achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency and consistency while freeing human talent for more creative, strategic work.