Soapbox: In a world of AI and digital shortcuts, humans crave human interaction

With the ever-increasing cost of human capital and advances in chatbot technology, it’s tempting for corporations to cut corners when it comes to operational efficiencies. However, while AI was meant to be a cost-effective way to eliminate repetitive human tasks, businesses are forgetting one big thing: interacting with humans is anything but repetitive. Instead of improving customer service, chatbots have detached humans from the equation, and that’s not cutting it for most customers. In a recent survey we conducted, 25 percent of millennials would rather spend three hours at the DMV, and more than 50 percent of women would rather wait in line to get groceries than deal with an automated system. That’s a lot of waiting just to avoid the dreaded bot.

Though some businesses may not need an end-to-end customer service team, they can lean into AI technology in integrative ways. A bot can begin a conversation but swiftly hand it off to a human; AI assists humans behind the scenes; or bots operate with human supervision. A bot can be effective for responding to standardized questions, but when the customer has a complicated issue or begins to act with emotion, it needs to seamlessly transfer the customer to a human, period.

When it comes to customer service, businesses can’t forget humans crave being heard. It might seem advantageous to use technology to reduce cost-to-serve and get in front of customer needs, but research shows that ignoring the importance of human interaction could be detrimental to your success.

Soapbox is a special feature for marketers in our community to share their observations and opinions about our industry. You can submit your own here.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech Today. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Greg Heist

As Chief Innovation Officer (CInO) of Gongos, Inc., Greg is charged with accelerating the future of everything – from trends and foresights to product innovation and development, to the company’s growth and performance. Greg thrives on exploring societal and technological shifts that point to disruptive ways to create value for consumers and resilience for organizations. Greg leads the company’s Innovation Think Tank – a cross-generational team that fosters a culture of innovation and guides long-term strategy in shaping the decision intelligence space. A former research practitioner with over 20 years of experience under his belt, Greg is a visionary at heart. He believes our industry is in the midst of a revolution, and plans to help pave the way. He holds an M.A. in Humanistic and Clinical Psychology from the Michigan School of Professional Psychology, and a B.S. in Industrial Administration, Marketing and Finance Concentrations from Kettering University.