Siloed Work is Killing Your ROI - Here's How To Fix It

Nathan Weill here.

I'm the CEO @ Flow Digital, where we help companies unleash their full potential by strategically automating every inch of their workflows. Each week, I share hot AI and automation tips to help you move your business into the future successfully.

Tactic

Custom Sales Signals, Automated

Tactic is a sales intelligence platform that lets you define your own unique signals and datapoints. Instead of buying pre-built contact databases like ZoomInfo or Apollo, teams use Tactic's custom AI to generate insights from web scraping, CRM data, and third-party sources in a few clicks.

This no-code platform automates prospect and account research by pulling data from the web, your CRM, and third-party sources in a few clicks. Best suited for teams that need flexible account intelligence rather than a massive "plug and play" contact database.

Key features:

• Custom AI-powered signals: Define the exact datapoints that matter to your ICP, like hiring patterns, tech stack changes, or funding announcements

• Deep Salesforce integration: Two-way sync with imports, exports, custom object support, and flexible field mappings

• HubSpot data sync: Score accounts and push enriched data directly to HubSpot

Google Drive and Slack integrations are on the roadmap for broader workflow connectivity.

GoCardless reports saving 10 hours per week per salesperson using Tactic. The platform serves both hypergrowth startups and Fortune 500 teams including Adobe Workfront and Ably.

Not sure which sales intelligence tool fits your workflow? Book a Discovery Session with our team to find the right solution and identify which processes to optimize first.

Slack’s New Slackbot

Employees waste hours each week hunting for information scattered across channels, files, and conversations. Slack's newly rebuilt Slackbot addresses this directly as a personal AI agent that understands your workspace context. Unlike generic AI assistants, Slackbot draws from your messages, files, and connected tools like Google Drive and Salesforce to deliver relevant answers without the setup.

Key capabilities:

• Search across all connected apps and data you can access, then surface answers with clear citations

• Create canvas documents like launch plans, product briefs, and sprint plans from a simple prompt

• Prep for meetings by pulling relevant conversations, files, and action items automatically

Business impact:

• Salesforce internal testing showed employees saving 2 to 20 hours per week

• 96% satisfaction rate, the highest for any Slack AI feature shipped

• 73% of adoption driven by organic sharing, not mandates

• Respects existing permissions, so sensitive data stays protected

If your team already runs on Slack, Slackbot turns the context you've built into instant answers and action.

Stop AI Silos from Killing Your ROI

Your team adopted AI tools. So did every other department. Now you have ChatGPT for brainstorming, Claude for writing, Notion AI for docs, and a dozen other point solutions.

According to a new Forrester study, 69% of leaders say switching between core work tools and AI tools causes friction that interrupts workflows.

What the research suggests:

• 33% report that AI is actually contributing to silos and fragmentation

• 81% are interested in AI solutions built on shared, canvas-based workspaces

• 89% say improving collaboration and teamwork is key to achieving their organizational goals

How to fix it:

• Sync AI outputs to your source of truth. Set up automations that push AI-generated content into your CRM, project management tool, or documentation hub.

• Audit your AI stack. Map which tools each department uses and where outputs get stuck. Look for duplicate capabilities and handoff gaps.

• Build a shared prompt library. Store your best-performing prompts in Notion, Confluence, or Airtable. Tag by use case and department so teams can reuse what works.

• Automate the handoffs. Use Zapier or Make to route AI outputs to the right people automatically. When marketing finishes a brief in one tool, trigger a notification and file it in the shared workspace.

• Create feedback loops. Build a simple form or Slack workflow where teams flag when AI outputs don't meet their needs. Track patterns to identify which prompts or tools need adjustment.

The companies consolidating AI into shared workflows now will see compounding returns. Those who keep adding point solutions will keep adding friction.

Get the full Forrester study from Miro

ChatGPT Ads Are Coming

OpenAI announced on January 16, 2026 that it will begin testing ads in ChatGPT for logged-in adults in the U.S. AI-driven search ad spending is projected to grow from $1.1 billion in 2025 to $26 billion by 2029. Google is also planning ads in Gemini for 2026, signaling that ad-funded AI is becoming the norm.

ChatGPT ads work differently than Google or Meta ads. Traditional advertising interrupts attention. ChatGPT ads integrate with intent. The system evaluates meaning across the full conversation, not isolated keywords.

Practical Frameworks:

• Marketing teams: Start monitoring how your brand appears in AI-generated recommendations. Prepare conversational ad copy that reads like advice, not traditional CTAs.

• Operations leaders: Evaluate whether upgrading to ad-free tiers ($20/month Plus) makes sense for productivity-critical workflows.

• Sales teams: Track how competitors position themselves in AI responses. Early advertisers on ChatGPT will likely secure lower costs and algorithm advantages.

• IT/Procurement: Build ChatGPT advertising into your 2026 media planning conversations now.

OpenAI states ads won't influence answers, but sponsored placements will still shape how users perceive options. The brands that prepare now will have a significant head start when the ad platform opens more broadly later this year.

SMART WORDS OF THE WEEK:

— President Abraham Lincoln

The companies seeing real ROI aren't rushing to implement every new tool. They're investing upfront in strategy and building systems that match how their teams actually work. Preparation isn't lost time. It's the difference between swinging harder and swinging smarter.

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