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The End of Enterprise Dashboards: How AI Is Replatforming Business Software

Author

Charlene Li
March 31, 2025

Raise your hand if you've ever said, "I love my CRM so much!"

... Anyone? 

I didn't think so.

Yet most of us spend hours navigating complex interfaces, filling out forms, and generating reports in systems like Salesforce and SAP.

What if I told you that you might never have to log into these complex systems again?

A major shift is underway. Just as businesses evolved from desktop-first to mobile-first (and sometimes mobile-only), we're entering a new phase where AI is fundamentally changing how we interact with enterprise software.

This transformation follows three distinct paths, and organizations that understand this evolution can both influence and benefit from it.

Three Paths to AI Replatforming

1️⃣ AI as the Interface Layer

This is the simplest and most immediate form of replatforming—laying a conversational layer on top of existing systems. It uses natural language to pull reports, update fields, and trigger workflows without navigating complex menus.

Examples already exist: Microsoft Copilot, Salesforce's Agent Force, Oracle NetSuite's chatbots, and Notion AI. I use this approach constantly when writing formulas in Excel—instead of figuring out the syntax, I simply write, "I want this cell to do this" and the AI generates the perfect formula with all parentheses in the right place.

This level of replatforming is here today and delivers immediate value by eliminating the most cumbersome interactions with enterprise systems.

2️⃣ AI as the Workflow Engine

The next evolution is more sophisticated. Here, AI doesn't just interact with individual platforms—it sits in the middle as an orchestration layer connecting multiple systems.

Imagine an AI agent that understands your sales process end-to-end, pulling information from your CRM, email system, and calendar to manage outreach campaigns without you having to jump between applications. Or an onboarding system that coordinates across HR platforms, IT provisioning systems, and learning management tools to create a seamless experience for new employees.

Companies like Alta are already developing AI agents in this space—reasonably priced "digital workers" that sit on top of CRM systems while tapping into multiple areas to transform workflows. Microsoft has announced autonomous agents to streamline HR workflows from rewards management to recruiting.

3️⃣ AI-Native Platforms

The most radical transformation is AI-native platforms built from the ground up. These aren't add-ons or enhancements to legacy systems—they're completely reimagined interfaces where the agent is the platform.

We're seeing early examples like Navina, an AI co-pilot for doctors that accesses patient records and suggests diagnoses, and Onyx, which functions as a proactive chief of staff by understanding your calendar, documents, and upcoming meetings to prepare you for your day.

While large enterprises won't abandon their legacy systems overnight, startups and smaller organizations without deep platform investments have the freedom to adopt these AI-native approaches much faster.

Competing for the AI Experience

As this replatforming accelerates, platforms will compete on three key dimensions:

  1. Data Access: How open will platforms be with APIs to allow AI tools and agents to access their data? The balance between openness and security will be crucial. 

  1. Agent Functionality: How capable and specialized will the AI agents be within specific domains and workflows?

  1. Personalization: How well can platforms tailor experiences to individual users, teams, and organizational needs?

The competition will increasingly focus on creating exceptional AI experiences rather than simply managing data. The middleware layer connecting various platforms through AI agents will become critical infrastructure within organizations.

What to Ask Your Technology Partners

When evaluating technology partners or influencing product roadmaps, move beyond asking "Does this have AI?" 

Focus instead on these more specific questions:

  1. What parts of our workflow could an agent do? 

Which repetitive, rule-based tasks can be fully handled by AI? Can the system act on prompts like "Assign unworked leads from last week to Team B" or "Generate a Q1 churn report and notify the account managers"?

  1. Is your system built for humans or for prompts? 

Legacy interfaces rely on clicks, tabs, and filters, while AI-native interfaces center around a prompt bar. Does the system understand context and intent, allowing users to simply type "Show top 10 customers by lifetime value" rather than configuring complex reports?

  1. How can we rethink the architecture? 

If you could build from scratch with AI at the center, how would you design the system? If you currently use four different tools to build a campaign, what would one AI agent managing the entire campaign look like?

The Path Forward

The most limiting factor in enterprise software transformation isn't technical—it's our imagination. We're constrained by the interfaces we've grown accustomed to, even as they frustrate us daily.

This is the perfect moment to exercise curiosity and imagination with your technology partners. Share your frustrations, describe the experiences you want, and demand interfaces worthy of your investment.

The shift may begin with chat interfaces and workflow agents, but the opportunity to reimagine enterprise software with AI at the center is transformative—and it's happening now.

Your Turn

Which enterprise platform do you wish had an AI interface that eliminated the need for dashboards and forms? What's your most frustrating workflow that could benefit from AI orchestration?

What I Can’t Stop Talking About: 

  • I'm calling BS on the ATS. Resume-based hiring is fundamentally broken. Applicant Tracking Systems scan for keywords while completely missing what actually determines success: reliability, teamwork, and purpose alignment. It's time for a hiring revolution that prioritizes who people are, not just which keywords they've managed to cram into their resume. Here's how to rethink your hiring process.

  • The myth of "flat" organizations and disruption. The most innovative companies aren't necessarily the ones with trendy organizational structures. What matters is mindset: relentlessly focusing on future customers, creating clear strategies, and fostering beliefs around openness and action. This disruptive approach works regardless of size, age, or industry. Here's how your leadership can create the right mindset for innovation.

  • Reinvention doesn't require total transformation. You can solve pressing challenges by simply rotating your perspective on value. By asking "What opportunity should we pursue next?" companies can discover hidden potential in existing capabilities. Here's how one company did it.

My Upcoming Appearances:

If you want me to speak at an upcoming event or conduct a workshop with your executive team, please drop me a note at speaking@charleneli.com. 

If this information was helpful, there’s plenty more!

📌 Sign up for updates and early access to my upcoming book, co-authored by Katia Walsh, which is all about creating a winning generative AI strategy.

📌 Catch up on my webinars! You can still review the slides and recordings of my two recent webinars, “Unlocking The Power of Generative AI,” and “Developing a Winning Generative AI Strategy for Competitive Advantage.”

Charlene Li

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