I’ve got to say it: I’m fed up with the direction customer service is heading.
Everywhere you go — it’s kiosks, bots, and canned responses. And now with the rise of AI? It’s getting even worse. Businesses are acting like it’s totally fine to remove actual people from the customer experience.
Let me be clear:
âś… AI has a place.
âś… Automation can be amazing.
❌ But overusing it turns your brand into a vending machine.
And that’s not just bad for business — it’s miserable for customers.
🤖 The Rise of the Robots (and the Fall of Common Sense)
Ever try to contacting a company for help and end up trapped in a loop with a chatbot that can’t understand what you need?
Or walk into a store, only to be pointed to a touchscreen?
Better yet, you go to their website and they don't even have a phone number listed!
That’s the new norm — and it sucks.
It’s cold. It’s impersonal. And it’s absolutely not what small businesses should be copying. AI is a tool, not a replacement for human interaction. And when businesses forget that, they become forgettable.
👀 You Saw Me Walk In — Pretending You Didn’t Is Wild
Let’s get back to basics here:
If someone walks into your business, acknowledge them. Smile. Say hi. Look up from your screen.
It blows my mind how many places fail this most basic test of hospitality.
It’s not just rude — it’s damaging. If your team is too checked out or overwhelmed to greet people properly, you’ve got bigger problems than your signage.
🧍‍♀️🧍‍♂️ Team or Group of Strangers?
Customers feel the energy of your team. If the staff doesn’t support each other, communicate, or share ownership of the customer experience, it shows. Badly.
Disjointed teams = disjointed service. And no AI tool can fix that.
The solution? Take care of your people. Listen to them. Support them. Build a real connection and culture — or don’t be surprised when clients don’t stick around.
📉 Stop Guessing. Start Measuring.
Here’s the part most companies ignore:
You don’t know how your team or customers feel unless you ask.
We use two tools at Bluefin Technology Group that help us keep it real:
đź’¬ SimpleSat: Real Feedback, Real Fast
Every interaction triggers a one-click survey. No fluff, no friction.
Our benchmark?
This isn’t a vanity metric. It’s our pulse check.
🧠Gusto: Anonymous Monthly Team Surveys
Every month, our team tells us how we’re doing — anonymously.
Leadership, workload, communication… all of it’s fair game.
This tells us if our culture is thriving or silently slipping. And we act on it.
Because if your team’s not happy? Your customers won’t be either.
🤯 What Happened to Just... Being Good at Service?
Look — I’m all for growth. I’m not anti-tech. We use AI, automation, and systems to work smarter every day. But not at the cost of humanity.
The businesses I admire the most — and the ones I keep going back to — are the ones that make me feel like more than a number.
They look me in the eye.
They treat their staff like family.
They actually give a damn.
That’s what keeps people coming back. That’s what earns referrals.
Not a chatbot. Not another cold kiosk.
🛑 Rant Over (But the Work Isn’t)
So here’s my challenge to business owners, managers, and leaders:
Don’t normalize bad service just because it's efficient or the "new norm."
Don’t let AI become a wall between you and your customers.
And for the love of your brand — talk to your team and your clients. Regularly.
The bar is low out there.
Let’s raise it.
