By Gertrude Van Horn, SVP & CIO, Cien.ai

“A 2% uplift from AI may seem small, but it can drive massive gains in revenue, shareholder value, and market valuation.”

– Robert Kall, CEO & Co-Founder, Cien.ai

The Problem: Everyone Wants AI, But Few See ROI

In boardrooms across every industry, there’s a clear mandate: invest in AI or risk falling behind. But despite skyrocketing interest, a study by the Rand Corporation found that a staggering 80% of AI projects in organizations fail. Only 30% of AI projects survive beyond the pilot stage, according to Gartner. The reasons are well-known: the wrong use case, poor quality data, lack of internal expertise, and risk concerns.

Sales and RevOps leaders, especially, face the brunt. With budgets tight and pressure to grow, they need results fast. But too often, AI becomes another science experiment rather than a revenue driver. Proof-of-concepts drag on, it takes months to move from prototype to production, often dashboards confuse more than they clarify, and stakeholders grow weary and impatient.

The Solution: 6 Keys To Unlocking AI ROI

Six Keys to AI ROI:

• Educate and align stakeholders, grounding  expectations in reality, not buzzwords.
• Set Clear Objectives – Define scope and success metrics up front.
• Prioritize Data Quality – Clean, complete, and consistent data is non-negotiable.
• Surround yourself with Experts – Don’t rely on generalists for specialized AI work.
• Establish trust by starting AI projects focused on low risk, quick wins, and security.
• Validate Rigorously – Test hypotheses, measure impact, and explain findings.

What Does Success Look Like

Cien.ai’s clients don’t wait years for ROI—they see value in months, ROI in a year. A global SaaS provider saw $180M in new bookings in 24 months. The AI initiative achieved full ROI within a year.

A global telecom firm realized $18M in revenue growth in 18 months, Value in weeks, ROI within a year. Companies that choose 3 rd party AI solutions over proprietary internally developed solutions benefit from the speed and low-risk of a fully proven solution, and can see more than 1500% ROI over 24 months versus just 30% from internal initiatives. Speed and impact are important. Even modest gains make a significant impact.

A 2% improvement on a $350M revenue base drives strong value:

• – $7M in new bookings
• – $5.6M in gross profit
• – $84M in shareholder value (based on 12–15x info / fintech multiples)

That’s not a line item — it’s a game-changer.

Beat The Odds

Deliver success in your AI Project! Follow the six keys to unlocking AI ROI. Focus on high quality data. Bet on proven technology. Maximize impact. Minimize risk. Measure ROI. At Cien, we’ll show you how.

About the Cien.ai Growth Essentials Series

This article is part of our Growth Essentials Series, inspired by our work with B2B executives, GTM consultants, and PE operating partners. These articles focus on non- technical strategies to accelerate revenue growth. For advanced RevOps analytics, check out our Practical RevOps Analysis Series.