This blog post was written by our friend, Nadine Nethery.
Nadine Nethery is the human-first customer experience & retention strategist for savvy online business owners who are done chasing new leads at all cost. Your customers notice when a brand genuinely gets them. Nadine makes sure yours does. She’s the person you call on when you're sick of working harder for less, and want to finally maximise your return on investment for every lead! Connect with her via her website or tune in to her top-charted customer experience podcast.
Not long ago, many business owners were almost embarrassed to admit they worked with a copywriter. They would outsource their projects but keep quiet about it. But over the last few years, I’ve witnessed an interesting shift. Many of these business owners now happily advertise the AI prompts they use to write all their copy, and the workflows they've created to generate content in minutes.
I'm not anti-AI. I use it in my own business, and embrace it.
But I'm intrigued by what this change says about the way we think about business and human connection. We’ve somehow become proud of automating communication and diminish the role humans play in building lasting relationships.
While technology has made it easier than ever to remove ourselves from customer interactions, those who amplify the human element create the strongest loyalty.
As we all adopt the same tools, prompts, templates, and automations, human experiences are becoming even more valuable.
Most business owners have adopted AI for the right reasons: They want to save time, step away from repetitive work, and create more consistency in their customer experience. Which is all valid! Running a business comes with an endless list of admin tasks, and AI can help with a lot of that.
But you create a problem when efficiency removes the human element in the wrong places.
Businesses unintentionally create experiences that feel efficient but totally forgettable by automating every response and email.
Think of the last business you mentioned to someone else. I bet you didn't talk about how well they leveraged automation. You likely shared how they knew you inside out, and solved a problem you never knew you had.
Stop assuming everything in your business needs to be scalable.
We're told to build scalable offers, systems, content strategies, and customer journeys. While automation and systems are great, some of the most memorable customer experiences are difficult to scale by nature.
A personal video message takes longer than a pre-recorded, generic one.
A truly bespoke email requires more effort than a blast to your entire list.
And remembering a customer's goals means you have to pay attention and engage.
But efficiency isn't always the best approach. Because when your customer sees that someone invested time and effort into an interaction, they take note.
In a world increasingly shaped by AI and automation, personal touches become even more valuable.
I believe AI has huge potential to help us create better customer experiences, but AI should support relationships rather than replace them.
3 ways to make your brand experience more human:
1. Replace one automated message
Choose one brand touchpoint and make it truly personal to the recipient. That could involve recording a personal video message or sending a voice note. It might take 2 minutes of your time, but it’s going to get their attention.
2. Start tracking seemingly small details
Pay attention to the stories your customers tell you…and keep track! Record them in a client file, set yourself a reminder and check in on that anniversary, the trip of a lifetime to Spain or once they’ve wrapped up that huge live launch. People remember being remembered.
3. Create one intentional moment of surprise and delight
Think of something your customer would never expect… and run with it. A physical card in the mail. A coffee voucher on the day of your kick-off call. A new introduction they weren’t expecting. These opportunities keep giving long after they've happened.
What matters most is how you make your customers feel.
While AI may change the way we operate, it hasn't changed the fundamental reason people buy from us in the first place. As customers, we’ll continue to choose businesses we trust and make us feel valued. And we’ll continue to pay attention to businesses that show up deeply human.
