Latest news with #AIconsulting
CNA
16 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
Accenture bookings drop eclipses upbeat revenue, unveils AI-focused revamp
Accenture reported a second straight drop in quarterly new bookings on Friday and unveiled an organizational revamp to bolster its AI consulting services, as a cutback in U.S. government spending and economic uncertainty pressure growth. The bookings decline overshadowed the consulting giant's better-than-expected quarterly revenue and an increase in its annual forecasts, sending its shares down 5 per cent before the bell. Consulting and IT firms are under pressure as U.S. tariffs and accompanying economic uncertainty force companies to rethink their spending plans, while the Trump administration's cost-cutting efforts have led to contract cancellations and delays. Accenture said bookings - which represent future revenue secured through contracts - fell 6 per cent to $19.70 billion in its fiscal third quarter, below the Visible Alpha estimate of $21.54 billion and worse than the 3 per cent decline in the previous quarter. CEO Julie Sweet said 30 clients recorded quarterly bookings of greater than $100 million, compared with 32 in the previous quarter. Generative AI bookings totaled about $1.5 billion. Rival IBM also reported a small consulting revenue drop in April and said 15 of its U.S. government contracts worth about $100 million were shelved under the cost-cutting drive, while Indian IT firms including Infosys have warned of a tough year ahead. To navigate the uncertainty, Accenture plans to focus on AI consulting with the creation of a new business unit called reinvention services, which would combine its AI offerings and be led by Manish Sharma, the head of its Americas business. Sharma will be succeeded by chief operating officer John Walsh, while Americas COO Kate Hogan will take over as global COO. In the May quarter, Accenture posted revenue of $17.7 billion, beating analysts' average estimate of $17.30 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. That growth was powered by higher spending by its clients in the financial services industry. Profit per share of $3.49 also beat estimates of $3.32.
Globe and Mail
05-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
It's Happened: AI Just Replaced Sales Jobs – and This UK Agency Made It Happen
"A generative AI sales agent in the form of a digital humanoid engages a potential client through a holographic interface — symbolizing the shift from traditional sales teams to intelligent, always-on automation. This visual represents the rise of AI agencies transforming business development through conversational AI." An international digital agency has quietly launched what may be the world's first generative AI sales agent — engineered to engage, qualify, and convert leads without human intervention. Now live and operational 24/7, the AI agent is actively selling real services and redefining how businesses around the world approach digital growth. Manchester, UK - June 5, 2025 - In a world of rapidly evolving AI tools, one international AI agency is taking the technology beyond chatbots and blog generators — and straight into the heart of business development. Marketing Web Development Agency has launched a generative AI sales agent capable of qualifying leads, answering detailed service questions, and guiding potential customers toward action — all without a human sales team. 'We didn't build a chatbot,' says Andy, Digital Expert and Co-Founder. 'We built a sales agent that learns from the founder's voice, adapts to client intent, and closes deals around the clock.' This marks a bold step for agencies using AI, placing Marketing Web Development Agency at the forefront of AI consulting companies building real-world automation tools. A New Era of Sales — Powered by Generative AI Unlike scripted bots, this generative AI system is trained on the language, tone, and structure of a high-performing human rep. It provides real-time interaction with customers on the company's website — capable of explaining SEO, PPC, performance marketing, and web development services in plain terms while qualifying the lead. 'We've replaced passive form fillers with interactive, strategic AI conversation,' Andy adds. 'This is what we mean when we talk about automating revenue.' From Professional Services to eCommerce and SaaS Whether the business is a law firm, dentist, electrician, or B2B software company, the AI agent can be trained to deliver bespoke messaging and handle objections — even replicating the style of a company founder or top salesperson. This makes the technology deployable across industries and gives smaller companies access to powerful conversion automation, once only available to enterprise brands. Inside the Tech Stack Unlike traditional AI tools that focus on content creation, this system specializes in conversational selling — powered by a generative AI stack hosted on cloud infrastructure and custom-built into each client's site. No external hosting or third-party plugins are required. Marketing Web Development Agency is among the few AI marketing companies building tightly integrated, performance-first systems on custom architecture. 'We didn't rely on no-code tools,' Andy says. 'This was coded, tested, and trained by people who've been building in digital since dial-up.' About the Founder Andy, known on LinkedIn as 'Andy Digital Expert', has been involved in digital since 1996, building websites for his own companies long before the term 'digital agency' became mainstream. His team formed a boutique agency only after discovering no one could build what they needed. 'We only work with a small number of clients,' Andy explains. 'We believe this is the future — and we're helping the first-movers take it.' Media Contact Company Name: Marketing Web Development Agency | AI Agency & Web Development Contact Person: Natasha Bailey Email: Send Email Phone: 0800 055 4786 Address: 5 Piccadilly Place City: Manchester Country: United Kingdom Website:
