{"id":70141,"date":"2026-07-09T13:35:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T20:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=70141"},"modified":"2026-07-09T13:35:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T20:35:37","slug":"new-kid-in-town-dealer-team-members-client-end-users-must-break-ai-fears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2026\/07\/new-kid-in-town-dealer-team-members-client-end-users-must-break-ai-fears\/","title":{"rendered":"New Kid in Town: Dealer Team Members, Client End-Users Must Break AI Fears"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Even while it\u2019s been around for years in various forms, artificial intelligence is undoubtedly the shiny, new thing in the eyes of many, a byproduct of the numerous platforms (Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) that have emerged. Its potential is beyond exciting, both from a personal and professional POV. But make no mistake about it: AI scares the bejeezus out of a lot of people who believe two things: one, it\u2019s smarter than they are, and two, it\u2019s going to take their jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we delve into the next installment of our July State of the Industry report on AI, we asked our dealer panel to chronicle the challenges and cultural barriers that have arisen when introducing AI into long-standing workflows, and how they were able to address the reticence. We also have a blend of internal and external game plans that cover dealer and end-user teams. It is clear that the AI Conversation is mandatory for adoption and to develop a healthy, and informed, attitude around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
T.J. DeBello, Stargel
Office Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Overcoming AI objections is often a battle of mindsets. T.J. DeBello, vice president of sales for Stargel Office Solutions, notes the prevailing attitude is AI represents a shortcut, a threat or too complex to fit into a normal workflow. Given that workflows have been constructed over the years through experience, relationships and repetition, it\u2019s only natural for people to be skeptical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does a rep break down the walls of tradition with an account? DeBello believes demonstrating practical examples goes a long way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, AI can help turn rough notes into a professional email, summarize a complex issue, create a first draft of a proposal section, improve a social media caption, or help organize talking points before a customer meeting,\u201d he noted. \u201cWhen employees see that AI can remove friction from tasks they already do, the conversation changes. The key is positioning AI as an assistant, not a replacement. It helps people do their jobs more efficiently, but it does not eliminate the need for their experience, judgment or relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jake Elliott, Spectrum
Technologies<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Change is definitely a four-letter word in many vocabularies, and the willingness of end-users to embrace and adopt is vital regardless of the technology. Many tech initiatives founder, notes Jake Elliott, vice president and CRO for Spectrum Technologies, because it requires people to eliminate the familiar within their tasks and do something completely different. That\u2019s where the friction begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baby steps are helpful, and Elliott recommends implementing AI inside the workflows people are already using. One scenario he cited is the El Paso, Texas-based dealer\u2019s contact center AI initiative. Clients call the same number as before and submit requests as usual. While the experience feels familiar, the process behind the scenes becomes faster, smarter and more efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has cast the adoption conversation in a different light, Elliott notes. \u201cInstead of saying, \u2018Stop doing it this way and start doing it that way,\u2019 the message becomes, \u2018Keep doing what you are already doing and watch the experience improve,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cSo the biggest lesson for us has been that adoption improves when AI feels like an enhancement to the existing experience rather than a disruption. When employees and customers can experience the benefit without having to fight the technology, the resistance is much lower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Process Fatigue<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Erik Braden, Braden
Business Systems<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

From an internal standpoint, AI adoption was met with a sigh of sorts at Braden Business Systems. The team had been through a litany of changes previously\u2014the cloud migration cycle, the security tooling cycle, the evolution from break-fix to managed services, and converting from a copier-only to a broader technology services portfolio. That led experienced team members to bemoan having \u201canother thing to learn,\u201d noted Erik Braden, CEO and managing partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help ease the process, Braden was upfront about what AI would and would not do, namely not replace team members. It would handle the more menial, repetitive tasks in order to allow people more time to focus on client-facing activities and making judgment calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe did not oversell. When we rolled tools out, we made sure the first use cases were ones that actually saved time, not ones that just looked impressive in a demo,\u201d Braden said. \u201cFor our service technicians, that meant AI assisting with documentation and ticket summaries. For our sales team, it meant faster proposal development and better client research. Real time savings on real work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another barrier was trust in the output. Braden was not surprised to see team members with 15-20 years express skepticism about AI-generated summaries, and he saw the misgivings about the summaries as valid. Thus, AI output is treated as a draft, a practice run, and never a final product. AI is \u201cthe intern rather than the senior,\u201d a frame of mind that assures people occupy the higher position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most overlooked and underestimated barriers, according to Braden, is the cultural cost of inconsistency. \u201cIf your sales team is using AI heavily and your service team is not, you create resentment and confusion across the company,\u201d he said. \u201cIf your managed services side is sophisticated about AI governance and your office equipment side is not, your clients will notice. Setting a baseline expectation, where everyone gets the same tools, the same training, and is held to the same standards, was more important than the speed of adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Search Me<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Nate Schaf, Eakes
Office Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Understanding what AI represents and how it should be utilized can be an issue for some. Nate Schaf, CTO of Eakes Office Solutions in Grand Island, Nebraska, notes that many employees initially treated AI like a search engine. That caused skepticism when outputs weren\u2019t perfect, and it was a bit of an injustice to the tech\u2019s capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI isn\u2019t always 100% right, particularly when dealing with incomplete data or nuanced business context, and early expectations didn\u2019t always account for that,\u201d Schaf said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the added fear that AI could impact their employment status, Eakes took steps to make AI\u2019s role abundantly clear to team members. It\u2019s a tool to support decisions, but it\u2019s not infallible, nor will it send employees packing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur messaging has been consistent: AI should handle repetitive, time\u2011consuming work and accelerate analysis, while employees apply judgment, context, and relationship\u2011driven decision\u2011making. In many cases, it gives people more time to focus on higher\u2011value work that was previously getting pushed aside,\u201d Schaf added. \u201cOnce teams see real time savings in their daily workflows and understand where human oversight and expertise remain critical, confidence grows quickly. Seeing AI work in practical, production scenarios, not just demos, has been the biggest driver of adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Sam Stone, Stone’s
Office Equipment<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The greatest barrier, simply put, is fear. Sam Stone, president of Stone\u2019s Office Equipment in Richmond, Virginia, points out that chief among them are the fear or being replaced or that AI lowers quality or authenticity. Longstanding business, particularly those that are relationship-driven, are loath to embrace anything that would be construed as robotic or impersonal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why Stone\u2019s Office Equipment has relegated AI to assistant status, maintaining only flesh-and-blood employees. The buy-in comes when team members witness AI changing diapers, so to speak, by eliminating repetitive tasks. That communicates the notion that peoples\u2019 value is being diminished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not a magic elixir. \u201cAI is only as good as the operator,\u201d Stone said. \u201cBad prompts produce bad results. We\u2019ve had to teach people that AI still requires judgment, editing, and business context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t just push a button and expect brilliance. If that were true, every copier would stop jamming the moment you threatened it. We\u2019re not there yet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even while it\u2019s been around for years in various forms, artificial intelligence is undoubtedly the shiny, new thing in the eyes of many, a byproduct of the numerous platforms (Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) that have emerged. Its potential is beyond exciting, both from a personal and professional POV. But make no mistake about it: AI scares the bejeezus out of a lot of people who believe two things: one, it\u2019s smarter than they are, and two, it\u2019s going to take their jobs. As we delve into the next installment of our July State of the Industry report on AI, we asked our dealer panel to chronicle the challenges and cultural barriers that have arisen when introducing AI into long-standing workflows, and how they were able to address the reticence. We also have a blend of internal and external game plans that cover dealer and end-user teams. It is clear that the AI Conversation is mandatory for adoption and to develop a healthy, and informed, attitude around it. Overcoming AI objections is often a battle of mindsets. T.J. DeBello, vice president of sales for Stargel Office Solutions, notes the prevailing attitude is AI represents a shortcut, a threat or too complex to fit into a normal workflow. Given that workflows have been constructed over the years through experience, relationships and repetition, it\u2019s only natural for people to be skeptical. How does a rep break down the walls of tradition with an account? DeBello believes demonstrating practical examples goes a long way. \u201cFor example, AI can help turn rough notes into a professional email, summarize a complex issue, create a first draft of a proposal section, improve a social media caption, or help organize talking points before a customer meeting,\u201d he noted. \u201cWhen employees see that AI can remove friction from tasks they already do, the conversation changes. The key is positioning AI as an assistant, not a replacement. It helps people do their jobs more efficiently, but it does not eliminate the need for their experience, judgment or relationships.\u201d Change is definitely a four-letter word in many vocabularies, and the willingness of end-users to embrace and adopt is vital regardless of the technology. Many tech initiatives founder, notes Jake Elliott, vice president and CRO for Spectrum Technologies, because it requires people to eliminate the familiar within their tasks and do something completely different. That\u2019s where the friction begins. Baby steps are helpful, and Elliott recommends implementing AI inside the workflows people are already using. One scenario he cited is the El Paso, Texas-based dealer\u2019s contact center AI initiative. Clients call the same number as before and submit requests as usual. While the experience feels familiar, the process behind the scenes becomes faster, smarter and more efficient. This has cast the adoption conversation in a different light, Elliott notes. \u201cInstead of saying, \u2018Stop doing it this way and start doing it that way,\u2019 the message becomes, \u2018Keep doing what you are already doing and watch the experience improve,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cSo the biggest lesson for us has been that adoption improves when AI feels like an enhancement to the existing experience rather than a disruption. When employees and customers can experience the benefit without having to fight the technology, the resistance is much lower.\u201d Process Fatigue From an internal standpoint, AI adoption was met with a sigh of sorts at Braden Business Systems. The team had been through a litany of changes previously\u2014the cloud migration cycle, the security tooling cycle, the evolution from break-fix to managed services, and converting from a copier-only to a broader technology services portfolio. That led experienced team members to bemoan having \u201canother thing to learn,\u201d noted Erik Braden, CEO and managing partner. To help ease the process, Braden was upfront about what AI would and would not do, namely not replace team members. It would handle the more menial, repetitive tasks in order to allow people more time to focus on client-facing activities and making judgment calls. \u201cWe did not oversell. When we rolled tools out, we made sure the first use cases were ones that actually saved time, not ones that just looked impressive in a demo,\u201d Braden said. \u201cFor our service technicians, that meant AI assisting with documentation and ticket summaries. For our sales team, it meant faster proposal development and better client research. Real time savings on real work.\u201d Another barrier was trust in the output. Braden was not surprised to see team members with 15-20 years express skepticism about AI-generated summaries, and he saw the misgivings about the summaries as valid. Thus, AI output is treated as a draft, a practice run, and never a final product. AI is \u201cthe intern rather than the senior,\u201d a frame of mind that assures people occupy the higher position. One of the most overlooked and underestimated barriers, according to Braden, is the cultural cost of inconsistency. \u201cIf your sales team is using AI heavily and your service team is not, you create resentment and confusion across the company,\u201d he said. \u201cIf your managed services side is sophisticated about AI governance and your office equipment side is not, your clients will notice. Setting a baseline expectation, where everyone gets the same tools, the same training, and is held to the same standards, was more important than the speed of adoption.\u201d Search Me Understanding what AI represents and how it should be utilized can be an issue for some. Nate Schaf, CTO of Eakes Office Solutions in Grand Island, Nebraska, notes that many employees initially treated AI like a search engine. That caused skepticism when outputs weren\u2019t perfect, and it was a bit of an injustice to the tech\u2019s capabilities. \u201cAI isn\u2019t always 100% right, particularly when dealing with incomplete data or nuanced business context, and early expectations didn\u2019t always account for that,\u201d Schaf said. With the added fear that AI could impact their employment status, Eakes took steps to make AI\u2019s role abundantly clear to team members. It\u2019s a tool to support decisions, but it\u2019s not infallible, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":70142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1650,82,87,1638],"tags":[2519,2020,3940,1480,3436],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70141"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70141"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70143,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70141\/revisions\/70143"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}