Many AI programs report success in hours returned to staff. Far fewer can show what those hours became. In this UC Today interview, Intradiem President and Co-CEO, Jennifer Lee, argues that the gap between time saved and business value is where most AI programs stall, and that better design and better measures can close it.
TL;DR
Time saved is a symptom of AI adoption, not proof of business value.
Leaders should redesign workflows before they deploy tools.
Micro-breaks and fair work distribution help limit burnout as work gets harder.
Role-specific outcomes, not hours, should define success.
Why Is Time Saved a Misleading AI Metric?
Time saved misleads because it shows that a tool ran, not what the freed time produced. In customer service, AI often removes a minute here and five minutes there, not a neat hour that can be redeployed. The real question is what employees do with that time.
Jennifer said:
"We've gotten a little too excited about measuring how much time AI saves without asking what happens to that time."
Should Leaders Deploy Tools or Redesign Work First?
Leaders should assess the work before they deploy the technology. That review shows where time disappears into repetitive or redundant tasks. Once those gaps are clear, teams can redesign roles around the capacity AI frees.
Talking about the sequence, Jennifer said:
"The value is in redesigning the work itself. The time saved is just the outcome."
How Can Leaders Ease Stress as Work Gets Harder?
Automation often removes the simpler calls that gave agents a breather, which concentrates difficult work into each shift. Lee recommends building in micro-breaks. She cites research suggesting that a brief pause can interrupt the compounding effect of stress. Leaders can also use AI to spread demanding work more evenly across the team.
What Should Companies Measure Instead of Time Saved?
Companies should measure outcomes tied to each role. Lee says time saved is a symptom of deploying tools, so it belongs on a supporting slide, not the scorecard. In customer service, she points to these measures:
