Whatfix study warns AI adoption gap costs mid-sized firms

Whatfix has published a Forrester Consulting study estimating that a mid-sized enterprise could lose USD $10.9 million a year due to poor digital adoption. The research was based on a survey of 335 senior decision-makers across North America, Europe, APAC and India.

The study highlights a gap between investment in artificial intelligence and organisations' ability to get staff to use digital tools effectively. While 76% of leaders said AI adoption was a priority, only 27% viewed digital adoption as a critical enabler.

For employees, the cost of that gap is measured in both time and money. Workers can lose 728 hours each year navigating complex or poorly adopted digital environments, according to the research.

Whatfix used the survey to argue that digital adoption platforms are becoming more important as companies add more AI tools to daily work. It said organisations with more mature digital adoption practices outperformed less-developed peers on metrics such as user experience and return on investment.

Among organisations classified as proficient, 53% reported improved user experience, compared with 28% of emergent organisations. On ROI maximisation, the figures were 56% and 28%, respectively.

"Enterprises are buying and building AI faster than ever, but adoption is not keeping pace," said Khadim Batti, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Whatfix.

"The real challenge is operationalising intelligence inside real workflows with governance and measurable outcomes. Digital adoption maturity is no longer optional; it has become the difference between AI ambition and AI outcomes," Batti said.

Growth Update

Alongside the study, Whatfix disclosed details of its recent trading and customer growth. Revenue rose 31% year on year in 2025, with margins also improving.

New customers accounted for 44% of new business during the period. Named customers included Shell, Mercedes-Benz Group, Experian, Compass Group USA, Ceva Logistics, IDEXX Laboratories, Grant Thornton and Sentry Insurance.

Whatfix also expanded its partner network to more than 150 global partners. It reported a customer satisfaction score of 99.9% and a Net Promoter Score of 53.

Industry rankings were another part of the update. Whatfix said it was ranked the top digital adoption platform for the fifth consecutive year in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 and rose to 279th globally after recording 275% growth.

The company also highlighted the inclusion of its digital adoption, product analytics and Mirror products in Gartner market guides covering digital adoption platforms and product analytics. Its multi-product strategy is increasingly centred on AI tools embedded across its software portfolio.

AI Products

More than 30% of new enterprise buyers in the second half of 2025 adopted AI agents as part of their roll-out, according to Whatfix. These agents cover authoring, guidance and insights functions, and are intended to work across the company's software products.

According to Whatfix, early adopters recorded a 30% to 40% reduction in content creation effort with its Authoring Agent, analysis cycles three to four times faster with its Insights Agent, and a four- to five-fold increase in information discovery and search usage with its Guidance Agent.

Another product update focused on Salesforce. Whatfix introduced Seek for Salesforce, which it described as an AI agent capable of navigating workflows and completing Salesforce Trailhead Admin Challenges.

The company also launched Quick Capture Mode in its digital adoption platform. The feature records process steps in one pass and then generates guidance based on the application context and user intent, reducing the number of clicks needed to build guidance by 3x and cutting content creation time by up to 50%.

Training Market

Mirror, the company's training product, was described as a significant source of growth following the introduction of AI Roleplay. Annual recurring revenue for Mirror tripled year on year, according to Whatfix.

The product combines system simulation with AI-driven roleplay in a single training environment. The aim is to help teams practise conversations, edge cases and decision-making scenarios rather than limiting training to software use alone.

Whatfix also provided an update on its analytics business. It said Product Analytics had developed into what it called an insights-to-action platform, linking behavioural data directly with in-app guidance through its digital adoption software.

Additions included an AI analyst function, real-time cohorts, session replay and autocapture. According to the company, these features allow customers to identify friction in user behaviour and trigger contextual support inside applications.

A customer example included in the announcement came from JSW Steel. "We treat AI as driving intelligence into whatever we do. With frequent changes in content creators, consistency and speed of delivery are critical for us. This is where AI plays a powerful role," said Satyen Shah, Vice President - IT & Digital Solutions, JSW Steel.

"AI is helping us contextualise user queries across Salesforce modules and deliver highly relevant, in-the-flow support. AI without context is of no use, and Whatfix's roadmap around contextual intelligence and automation is creating real impact for us," Shah said.