The groundswell behind a new type of artificial intelligence known as agentic AI has been building for a long time. But now, AI agents are routinely used by Australian businesses of all shapes and sizes to streamline processes, improve customer service and capture more accurate data.
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Think of AI agents as an army of robots at a business’s disposal that can do anything from book appointments, analyse data and manage emails and calendars. They are a productivity silver bullet.
“AI innovation has advanced at an incredible pace, but until now has fallen short of addressing the challenges Australian businesses are grappling with,” says Salesforce Australia and New Zealand executive vice president and general manager, Frank Fillmann.
“This includes stagnant productivity, a tight labour market and increasing customer expectations.
“Tech like chatbots and copilots have failed to deliver the accuracy and trust needed for complex tasks and lack the autonomy to act independently. Autonomous AI agents integrate with existing workflows, access data, reason and operate in a way that feels natural and intuitive.”
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Canberra-based development and construction firm Geocon’s first foray into agentic AI started when it wanted to find an easier way to manage defects in its apartment developments.
Salesforce Australia and New Zealand executive vice president and general manager, Frank Fillmann.
“We had a strong customer portal, servicing owners with all their pre and post-settlement requirements,” says Geocon chief information officer, Andy Magee.
“The challenge was we didn’t offer this portal to tenants and property managers, and a large percentage of our purchasers are investors,” says Magee.
“We had a basic website servicing a non-owner living in a Geocon apartment, who could access and log information regarding a defect. This was then ingested into Salesforce, but the data capture was less than perfect.”
Assigning the defect to the right property sometimes involved several emails or calls to confirm contact details prior to assigning to a subcontractor for closeout. By switching to an interactive AI agent, Geocon was able to qualify the required information, capture images of the defect and figure out which trade needed to attend to the problem.
Geocon chief information officer, Andy Magee.
“Aside from getting defects fixed, the AI agent can update tenants on the status of their defect and appointment times for a tradesperson to fix the issue,” says Magee.
Switching to an AI agent to manage defects means owners and tenants are happier. Plus, it’s much easier to handle defects that come to light as a matter of course at the end of a build, without having to hire more people to deal with them.
Geocon can also more accurately capture information about defects thanks to agentic AI. “The average time between a case being logged and getting the information to a subcontractor has gone from 7.5 hours to near instantaneous,” says Magee.
It only took five weeks to get the AI agent up and running, and the tech is constantly learning and improving.
For Asia Pacific’s largest group of corporately owned health and wellness clubs, Fitness & Lifestyle Group, agentic AI allows the business to more meaningfully connect with customers, whether that’s helping them book a trial at their local club or with signing up for a membership on the go.
“We see it as a tool for empowering our teams, not replacing them,” says Fitness & Lifestyle Group CEO and managing director, Greg Oliver.
“It frees up our people to focus on the interactions that matter most to our members, helping them provide individual services.
“We see a significant opportunity to use technology to go beyond the gym floor and improve how we connect with members. Agentic AI will help members streamline everyday life admin like sign-ups, bookings and membership queries so they can spend more time on their wellness goals.”
Fitness & Lifestyle Group CEO and managing director, Greg Oliver.
Agentic AI also gives Fitness & Lifestyle Group’s teams the tools to be more responsive and proactive.
“In the future it will help us provide more options for members, whether they’re walking into their main club in Sydney or looking for a quick workout while on holiday in Bangkok,” says Oliver.
While Fitness & Lifestyle Group is still in the early stages of implementing AI agents, the team will initially use them to handle repetitive, routine tasks. The top priorities are simplifying memberships and providing 24/7 live support.
“But it’s also about setting ourselves up for the future. AI is evolving rapidly, and by embedding these tools now, we’re building a more adaptive, responsive member experience that can scale with us as we grow. Human connection is a non-negotiable part of the fitness experience and AI will enable us to build stronger, more engaged communities,” says Oliver.
Businesses that have implemented Agentforce, Salesforce’s agentic AI layer, are already seeing results.
“Australian companies no longer have to start from scratch,” says Salesforce’s Fillmann.
“By focusing on their core operations and identifying trapped value, with Agentforce they’ve then been able to start at the finish line, activate AI agents fast and see the immediate impact.
“We’ve moved from the art of the possible to the art of the practical, finding ways to use agentic AI that drives return-on-investment in weeks and months, not years.”
