Automation improves efficiency but does not build loyalty. Loyalty comes from person-to-person interactions where a customer feels genuinely heard, specifically helped, and connected to a brand that seems to understand their individual situation. A study cited in the article found that over 60 percent of businesses had adopted AI practices by 2017, yet chatbots and self-service kiosks consistently fail to generate the emotional connection that drives repeat business and advocacy. Chewy built a $3.35 billion acquisition by PetSmart almost entirely on the strength of its human customer service, including handwritten holiday cards, sympathy cards after the death of a pet, and commissioned oil paintings of customer pets. None of that was automated. The technology running Chewy’s website, app, and logistics was best in class, but it was the human touch that turned customers into loyal advocates. The companies that use automation to free their people to do more human work will always outperform the ones that use automation to eliminate the human element entirely.
