GoKawiilOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Listen to this post
Key Takeaways Customers still strongly prefer humans in customer service. In today’s AI-driven world, human connection remains a major driver of trust, loyalty and long-term growth.
Human support is a competitive advantage. When price and product are similar, most customers say they would choose the business with a human receptionist.
The winning strategy is simple: Use AI behind the scenes and put humans front and center.
In the rush to automate customer service, many companies are accidentally automating churn. For years, businesses have been told the future of customer service is automated, AI-driven and fully self-serve.
But when you ask the people at the heart of every business (the customers), what they actually want, the answer is surprisingly consistent: When the stakes are high, people still want to speak to real people.
“Communication is merely an exchange of information, but connection is an exchange of our humanity.” — Sean Stephenson
To better understand people’s attitudes toward AI in daily life and customer service, we commissioned a global survey of 6,000 participants with market-leading research company OnePoll. The findings were clear: AI may be evolving rapidly, but human connection remains a major driver of trust, loyalty and long-term growth.
And for brands racing toward an “AI-first” approach to customer service, that gap between innovation and expectation is where revenue is quietly being lost.
... continue reading