In our most recent issue, we posed questions around AI adoption to industry experts, who shared some valuable insights into uptake, adoption and opportunities

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared in the June issue of Dealer Support

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a practical tool across the workplace technology sector, as dealers look to harness its potential to drive efficiency and improve service delivery. Here, Andy Efstathiou, Quills Group CEO, explores the key barriers to adoption and where dealers should focus to unlock meaningful value.

What is the biggest opportunity AI presents for workplace supplies dealers right now?

For Quills, the opportunity is reducing cost-to-serve while increasing speed. This sector operates on tight margins, and most dealers are still carrying heavy admin layers across order processing, inbox management and product handling. AI allows you to remove that friction. The real opportunity isn’t innovation, it’s operational efficiency. Dealers that ignore that will fall behind quickly.

What are the biggest barriers to AI adoption for independent dealers?

The main barriers are:

• Lack of clarity on where AI actually delivers ROI
• Concerns around integrating with systems like Prima, Horizon or Evox
• Internal resistance to change

Budget is often cited, but in most cases it’s hesitation and lack of direction that slows adoption.

How can smaller dealers adopt AI without large budgets or in-house expertise?

They need to focus on practical use cases, not strategy documents.

Start with:

• Inbox management
• Order and back order workflows
• Product data
• Admin-heavy reporting

Through Yield AI, we’ve built modular agents that integrate with platforms like Prima, Horizon and Evox, allowing dealers to implement AI without rebuilding systems or hiring technical teams. The approach should be phased, solve one problem, prove value, then expand.

How important is company culture in successful AI adoption?

It’s critical. If AI is positioned as a threat, teams will resist it. The reality is these tools are designed to remove low-value, repetitive work, not eliminate the need for people. At Quills, the focus is on enabling staff to spend more time on customer interaction and higher-value tasks. That shift is what drives both adoption and results.

To read the rest of Andy’s comments and insights from other leaders in the workplace supplies sector, you can find the full article here.