The AI ROI Playbook: Key Strategies to Drive Value and Transform Business

As AI moves into the mainstream, business leaders are no longer asking if they should adopt AI but how they can achieve the strongest returns on their investment. Drawing on insights sourced via FifthRow, this playbook synthesizes findings from multiple industry reports, case studies, and data analyses across healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and finance. It highlights proven strategies (“plays”) that leading companies are using to maximize AI’s impact on customer experience, operational efficiency, and long-term growth.

Each play showcases a distinct application of AI, revealing how companies across industries are seeing tangible results, and how you can, too.

Play #1: Using Generative AI to Drive Customer Engagement and Speed Up Content Creation

Generative AI, which can produce original content like text, images, and videos, is transforming customer engagement across industries by allowing companies to create personalized, high-quality content at scale. Adobe, for example, recently launched Firefly, an AI-driven creative tool within its Adobe Creative Cloud suite. Firefly empowers users to create custom images, videos, and marketing assets in minutes, reducing the time and cost typically required for high-quality visual content.

Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, explains, "Generative AI is transforming the creative process, enabling our customers to bring their visions to life faster and more intuitively than ever before."

Results:

• Customer Engagement: Adobe’s clients report a 20% boost in engagement metrics, as Firefly-generated content is adapted to specific audience needs.

• Content Creation Speed: Design teams using Firefly have achieved a 40% reduction in content creation time, directly impacting campaign speed-to-market and reducing creative costs.

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Pro Tip: Start small by leveraging generative AI in areas with a high volume of repetitive tasks, like creating social media graphics or email templates, before scaling up to strategic initiatives. Consider how this technology could transform personalization and engagement across your entire customer journey, from marketing to post-sale support.

Play #2: Leveraging AI for Workflow Automation and Productivity Gains

AI-driven automation is helping companies unlock new levels of productivity by taking over repetitive tasks. Coca-Cola, for instance, has implemented robotic process automation (RPA) powered by AI to handle routine tasks such as accounts payable and inventory management. By automating these workflows, Coca-Cola has reduced human error and freed employees to focus on higher-value initiatives, such as product innovation and market expansion.

James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, remarked, "By integrating AI into our operations, we are streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity, allowing us to focus more on innovation and customer satisfaction."

Results:

• Process Speed: Coca-Cola reports a 25% improvement in process speed, reducing bottlenecks in its supply chain and enabling faster distribution.

• Employee Morale: As AI takes over repetitive tasks, employees report higher satisfaction, focusing more on creative and strategic work.

Pro Tip: Look beyond cost savings and focus on how AI can amplify the creative and strategic capacities of your teams. Start with repetitive processes that drain resources and then use the time saved to invest in initiatives that create competitive differentiation. This approach applies whether you're in manufacturing, finance, or any industry reliant on operational efficiency.

Play #3: Applying Multimodal AI to Deliver an Integrated, Personalized Experience

Multimodal AI, which processes different types of data like text, images, and audio, allows companies to create seamless, personalized experiences. Amazon’s Alexa, for example, uses multimodal AI to adapt responses based on users’ needs across Echo devices, making interactions more natural and responsive.

Rohit Prasad, Head Scientist for Alexa, noted, "The advancement of multimodal AI is pivotal in creating more natural and intuitive interactions between humans and machines."

Results:

• User Retention: Amazon observed a 30% increase in user engagement on devices equipped with multimodal capabilities, as customers enjoy a more intuitive experience.

• Increased Sales: Alexa’s ability to cross-sell based on multimodal interactions has driven a significant increase in Amazon’s smart home product purchases.

Pro Tip: Think about how multimodal AI can help your organization break down silos by combining data from disparate sources, such as text, video, and audio. Whether you're improving a customer’s smart home experience or optimizing a retail service, the key is to integrate insights from multiple channels to make every interaction more seamless and intuitive.

Play #4: Building Trust with Ethical AI and Regulatory Compliance

AI’s growing presence brings ethical considerations, especially in highly regulated sectors like finance. Wells Fargo is addressing these concerns by using AI-driven bias detection in loan approvals and credit decisions. This proactive approach not only builds customer trust but also helps Wells Fargo comply with increasingly strict regulations, making AI a tool for both operational and reputational security.

Saul Van Beurden, Head of Technology at Wells Fargo, stated, "Implementing ethical AI practices is not just a regulatory requirement but a commitment to our customers to maintain trust and integrity in all our services."

Results:

• Reduced Risk: By addressing bias proactively, Wells Fargo has reduced potential regulatory fines and improved its reputation in financial transparency.

• Customer Trust: Trust scores among Wells Fargo’s customers have risen by 15%, reflecting the importance of ethical AI practices.

Pro Tip: Treat ethical AI as a cornerstone of your strategy, not just a checkbox for compliance. Be proactive in embedding fairness and transparency into your AI systems, and regularly audit them to ensure they evolve responsibly. Whether in finance, healthcare, or marketing, trust is a differentiator that can strengthen customer relationships and future-proof your business.

Play #5: Transforming Diagnostics and Personalized Medicine with AI in Healthcare

In healthcare, AI is enabling more personalized patient care and improving diagnostics. Mayo Clinic, for instance, uses AI-driven diagnostic tools that analyze patient data to predict disease risk and recommend preventive care.

Dr. John Halamka, President of Mayo Clinic Platform, stated, "AI is revolutionizing healthcare by providing more accurate diagnostics and personalized treatment plans, ultimately improving patient outcomes."

Results:

• Improved Patient Outcomes: Mayo Clinic has reduced diagnostic time by 30%, which directly improves patient care quality.

• Cost Savings: AI-assisted diagnostics help avoid redundant tests, reducing costs for both providers and patients.

Pro Tip: Focus on measurable outcomes when introducing AI-driven diagnostics, such as improving accuracy or reducing wait times. Even outside healthcare, this mindset—starting with a targeted application and scaling as success builds—can help maximize impact and minimize disruption.

Play #6: AI and IoT Integration for Real-Time Decision-Making in Manufacturing

Manufacturing companies are gaining operational agility by combining AI with IoT. Caterpillar, for example, uses IoT-enabled AI sensors to monitor equipment health in real-time, enabling predictive maintenance and reducing costly breakdowns.

Denise Johnson, Group President of Caterpillar, stated, "Integrating AI with IoT in our manufacturing processes has led to significant improvements in predictive maintenance and operational efficiency."

Results:

• Reduced Downtime: Caterpillar reports a 40% decrease in downtime across facilities, saving millions in maintenance costs.

• Operational Efficiency: Real-time monitoring improves response times, enabling smooth operations and preventing disruptions.

Pro Tip: Think of AI and IoT as a dual engine for both operational efficiency and user experience innovation. Beyond optimizing logistics or equipment health, consider how real-time insights can improve the way customers interact with your products. Whether it’s smarter maintenance notifications for connected devices or real-time performance analytics, using IoT and AI together can redefine product usability and satisfaction. Start by identifying customer pain points that could benefit from real-time, data-driven solutions.

Play #7: Boosting E-Commerce Sales with AI-Driven Personalization

AI is transforming e-commerce by offering highly personalized shopping experiences. Shopify leverages AI to tailor product recommendations based on customer browsing, purchase history, and seasonal trends.

Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify, commented, "Leveraging AI for personalization allows us to offer our merchants tools that provide tailored shopping experiences, driving customer engagement and sales."

Results:

• Increased Average Order Value: Personalized recommendations have raised Shopify’s average order values by 20%.

• Customer Lifetime Value: Repeat customers now spend 15% more, driven by experiences tailored to their interests.

Pro Tip: Personalization isn’t just for e-commerce, apply these principles across your organization, from tailoring employee training to customizing client interactions. AI can reveal patterns and preferences that make every interaction feel personal, which is key for industries ranging from hospitality to education.

Transforming ROI Through Targeted AI Applications

The plays in this AI ROI Playbook demonstrate how companies across sectors are achieving substantial ROI through targeted AI applications. Whether enhancing customer experience, improving operational efficiency, or building trust through ethical AI, each play provides a practical path to realizing AI’s transformative potential.

For leaders ready to take action, the plays in this AI ROI Playbook offer a roadmap to maximize AI investment and position your company for sustained growth in an AI-driven landscape.

About the Author

Jason Hauer is CEO of HauerX Holdings and an Inc. 500 honoree. He partners with commercial AI tech and solutions companies to turn ambition into market leadership.