How BambooHR improved rep performance by 30%

AI innovation sparks new GTM possibilities

Just a few years ago, strong market tailwinds meant growth felt straightforward. “Economies were fantastic,” began Chris Sargent, director of sales enablement at BambooHR. “Sales was a lot more ‘order taking’ versus value-driven. That was how buyers were buying.” Today, that wind has shifted—and buying habits with it. As market conditions intensified, BambooHR recognized that an evolution was in order.

In AI, BambooHR saw a solution—it just needed to develop a strategy for implementing it effectively. “AI is happening in real time,” added Sargent. “It’s new for not only individual contributors but also for managers, enablement teams, and even buyers, all of whom are trying to figure out how to leverage it.” 

Rather than waiting for a blueprint, BambooHR drafted its own. From an early system that struggled to scale, its team built from the ground up. “Our old system was a WordPress site, with a bunch of links to external collateral and different things,” shared Maria Petersen, lead sales enablement program manager at BambooHR. “We knew we needed a better system and a better way.” As its internal processes evolved, BambooHR’s vision remained the same. “Our North Star is that our customers have the best buying experience and our reps can execute with confidence,” shared Sargent. “That won’t change [with AI]. The modality to do it will. We can make reps better at their jobs and create competitive advantages.”

As the team laid plans to evolve their strategy, they saw an opportunity in coaching. “One of the challenges we faced before Highspot was centered around coaching: the ability to track rep progress, verify if they’re getting live feedback, and know how the continuation of feedback was going,” explained Sobia Mohammad, sales enablement manager at BambooHR. Live, continued coaching was hard to scale and even more difficult to standardize. As BambooHR laid the groundwork for an AI-powered future, it looked to Highspot for the capabilities to power it.

New strategy opens avenue for driving GTM performance

When BambooHR’s enablement team began their journey, they first identified opportunities to embed AI into reps’ workflows. “We started with one or two use cases that directly supported productivity,” added Sargent. Reps quickly felt the impact. Just-in-time access to relevant content, for instance, accelerated execution in critical moments. “We have proactive information fed at the opportunity level in our CRM,” shared Sargent. “That’s been a huge win for us in increasing reps’ ability to be faster and more accurate.” With Nexus, Highspot’s AI and analytics engine, providing data-informed content recommendations, reps acted faster and performed better. Stronger engagement followed. “We tracked nearly 30,000 views during a four- to six-month window,” enthused Sargent. “We saw our click-through rates go up by 32%.”

The team also uses Skill Coaching to deliver real-time feedback. In onboarding and ongoing GTM training, reps complete video practice and free response questions. Nexus then generates instant feedback based on their response and the attached skill rubric—sharing personalized performance insights in seconds. “Based on my Skills Rubrics, my rep automatically gets coaching and feedback,” added Mohammad. “That’s before sales enablement and managers even get involved.” 

But BambooHR’s enablement team isn’t stopping there. They’re builders, busy developing creative ways to harness new technology and sharpen their strategies. “I wanted AI tools that would help reps with sales skills and acumen,” explained Petersen. “There’s three elements to that: what does performance look like in practice, in real life, and in certifications?” To support these three coaching workflows, the team is exploring Roleplay to give reps consistent, AI-powered feedback at every turn. “I’m super excited for Roleplay,” added Petersen. “We’re just starting to test it.” From content to coaching, the team has reimagined enablement at BambooHR—and they’re only just beginning. 

Early AI adopters accelerate engagement 

When BambooHR’s enablement team started their journey with AI, they wanted to do more than save time—they intended to unlock potential. “It’s one thing to create time savings,” noted Sargent. “It’s another to say: ‘Did we help you be more intentional and accurate? Were you fed content in a way that helped you create a differentiated experience?’” 

With content recommendations fueling engagement and personalized coaching sharpening skills, the team can confidently say they’ve achieved that goal. “We’ve seen a 91% increase in engagement with buyers over the last four to six months,” shared Mohammad. Higher view counts, stronger click-through rates, and deeper engagement—with AI, reps are taking the actions that drive the business forward. Early adopters are seeing standout results. “We’ve correlated that reps leveraging AI are performing at a 25–30% improvement level above peers that haven’t adopted it,” added Mohammad. And it’s just the beginning: While BambooHR’s early AI initiatives have proven successful, its enablement team is already focused on what’s next. “AI will become part of the fabric of our being,” concluded Petersen. “When it does, what will it elevate us to do? What higher level of contribution will we get to make?”