Sales engineers

Conduct market research related to sales activities

AI can collect market data, analyze competitor offerings, identify trends, segment customers, and generate research reports largely autonomously, with humans primarily reviewing findings and determining strategic implications rather than conducting the research itself.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'may have other tasks related to sales, such as market research.'

Arrange for installation of products and delivery of services

AI can schedule installations, coordinate logistics, generate service orders, and track delivery status with minimal human intervention, as these are largely structured coordination tasks with clear parameters, though humans still handle exceptions and customer communication.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'arrange for installation of products and delivery of services.'

Recommend improved products or services showing cost or production benefits

AI can analyze product performance data, calculate cost-benefit scenarios, and generate recommendation reports with supporting evidence, enabling humans to review and present findings rather than conduct analysis from scratch, though final recommendations benefit from human business context.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'recommend improved products or services to customers, showing how changes will lower costs or increase production.'

Provide technical support to help customers troubleshoot problems

AI can diagnose common technical issues through chat interfaces, search knowledge bases, and suggest solutions, significantly reducing human effort, but complex troubleshooting still requires human judgment to interpret ambiguous symptoms and maintain customer confidence during critical failures.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'provide support to help customers troubleshoot problems' and 'may offer technical support on the use, operation, or maintenance of equipment.'

Actively seek out new customers and identify additional sales opportunities

AI can identify prospect companies through data analysis, score leads, and draft initial outreach, substantially boosting productivity, but converting cold prospects requires human relationship-building, credibility establishment, and adaptive conversation that AI cannot yet handle autonomously in technical sales.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'need to actively seek out new customers or offer additional products and services to existing customers to increase business.'

Tailor and modify products or services to meet specific customer needs

AI can propose product configurations and generate customization specifications from requirements, but determining feasibility, managing engineering trade-offs, and ensuring solutions align with unstated customer expectations requires substantial human oversight and technical judgment.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'plan and modify products or services to meet customer needs' and may 'ask for technical requirements from customers and modify products or services to meet those needs.'

Consult with customers and sales teams to determine product needs and system requirements

AI can analyze customer data, suggest requirements, and draft needs assessments, but understanding nuanced business constraints, organizational politics, and unstated customer priorities requires human judgment and relationship-building that remains essential to the consultation process.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'talk with customers, the sales team, and engineers to determine product needs and system requirements.'

Prepare and deliver technical presentations to existing and prospective customers

AI can generate technical presentation content and slides from product specs, but delivering presentations requires real-time adaptation to customer reactions, reading room dynamics, and building trust through human presence—capabilities AI cannot yet replicate in high-stakes B2B contexts.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'prepare and deliver presentations explaining technical products to existing and prospective customers' and 'use their technical skills to explain scientific and technological products to potential customers.'

Work with sales teams to secure and renew customer orders

AI can track renewal timelines, draft outreach communications, and flag at-risk accounts, but securing orders requires relationship management, addressing concerns through dialogue, and navigating organizational decision-making processes that demand human presence and persuasion.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'work with sales teams to secure and renew orders.'

Negotiate pricing and complete sales transactions

AI can suggest pricing based on parameters and generate contract documents, but complex B2B negotiations involve reading counterparty signals, making strategic concessions, and building long-term relationship value—human skills that AI cannot execute autonomously in high-value technical sales.

BLS evidence: Sales engineers 'must interest the customer in buying their products' and 'negotiate a price and complete the sale.'