What are businesses doing with the time AI saves?

AI is already changing how recruitment consultants work. From speeding up research and meeting notes to generating candidate shortlists, the technology is taking some of the more repetitive work out of the day.

It's fair to say not everyone is feeling the benefits of the time saving yet with adoption and the process of embedding AI demanding serious commitment, but the potential rewards are enormous.

At the APSCo People & Skills Forum, the discussion quickly moved beyond how much time AI can save.

One of the key questions was... what are businesses doing with that time?

From saving time to creating value

AI is helping consultants complete tasks more quickly and giving them access to information and expertise that they may not previously have had. For some, this is making it easier to explore new sectors and diversify with less fear.

It is also creating opportunities for consultants to do things they simply did not have time for before. Rather than every task becoming 40% quicker, the bigger opportunity may be using that capacity for new activity, such as creating content, building a professional profile, developing relationships, or spending more time with clients and candidates.

That makes it important to look beyond headline productivity figures. The forum discussion suggested that businesses need to connect technology use to tangible outcomes, whether that is improved billings, better candidate quality, stronger client relationships or better operational performance.

What happens to learning when AI does the work?

One of the biggest questions raised was around junior consultants and the impact transformation has on them.

A significant amount of early recruitment experience comes from doing the work - researching a market, asking questions, speaking to candidates and learning to recognise what good looks like. If AI takes over too much of that early-stage activity, there is a risk that some of those learning opportunities disappear.

That does not mean businesses should avoid automation, it does mean that learning and development needs some more attention.

As roles change, businesses will need to think about which skills people still need to develop themselves, where coaching is most valuable and how consultants can build the judgement that technology cannot simply provide for them.

'AI works best when solving a problem'

Another strong theme from the discussion was that AI works best when it is solving a specific business problem.

Rather than introducing a new tool because it is available, businesses should start by looking at their processes and asking what is not working well. Mapping the sales journey can help identify where time is being lost, where there are gaps and where technology could genuinely add value.

That also changes the conversation with employees. AI adoption is not simply a technology project. It is a change-management process, and people need to understand what is changing, why it is changing, and what it means for their role.

This becomes particularly important as businesses move from a more open approach to AI towards greater governance, training and controls around data and responsible use.

KPIs and measuring what matters

The forum also explored how performance measures may need to change alongside technology.

If AI reduces the amount of time consultants spend on routine activity, measuring success by the number of calls, meetings or CRM updates alone becomes less useful.

There was a clear interest in looking more closely at quality, relationships and outcomes. Ratios such as CV-to-interview and interview-to-placement can provide a better indication of effectiveness, while client feedback and measures such as NPS could help businesses understand the value being delivered.

Technology may even have a role to play in assessing the quality of conversations, rather than simply counting them.

Ultimately, the shift is from asking “how much are consultants doing?” to asking “what difference is their work making?”

Keeping people at the centre

The forum did not suggest that recruitment is heading towards a fully automated future - quite the opposite.

As more transactional tasks become automated, human judgement, relationships and communication could become even more important. The consultant's role may increasingly move towards that of a trusted adviser, with technology supporting the process rather than replacing the person.

For businesses, getting there will require more than investing in AI tools. It will mean looking at processes, developing people, providing coaching and training, and making sure there is a clear purpose behind the changes.

The most useful starting point may therefore be a simple one - identify a genuine business challenge, understand where people add the most value, and then work out where technology can help.

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