Opinion: Talking to a person can be a luxury, competitive advantage

Andy Drennen

For decades, businesses raced to automate. Phone trees replaced receptionists. Chatbots replaced customer service reps. Self-checkout replaced cashiers. The pitch was always the same: faster, cheaper and available around the clock. 

Now, a quiet reversal is underway. 

As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, an increasing number of consumers and businesses are beginning to place a new kind of value on something that cannot be automated: a genuine human on the other end of the line. 

Consumers increasingly want personalization, community and authenticity. They want to feel understood. They want to feel valued. The companies that win in the future may not simply be the ones with the best technology. The winners could be the ones who create deep personal relationships alongside modern technological conveniences.  

Automation ceiling 
AI has made remarkable inroads across nearly every industry. Law firms use it to draft documents, healthcare providers rely on it to triage patient calls and investment firms use it for portfolio analytics. For routine transactions, the technology has proven effective. But effectiveness and satisfaction are not the same thing. 

A 2025 PwC survey found that 58% of consumers are either only somewhat comfortable or not comfortable at all using AI tools to interact with brands. The research also found that 70% of executives believe customer expectations are outpacing their ability to integrate technology with the human touch. Some industries are leaning into that as an opportunity and marketing strategy. Not by pulling back on AI, but by packaging human interaction as a distinct tier of service. 

The premium shift 
Wealth management firms have long understood this. High-net-worth clients expect a dedicated adviser, not a robo-portal. But the model is now spreading. Premium airline travelers receive human concierge support while economy passengers navigate automated systems. Certain health insurance plans now advertise direct nurse lines as selling points. Private banking, luxury retail and high-end hospitality have quietly made “speak to a person” part of what justifies their prices. 

The logic is straightforward: If AI handles the baseline, human attention becomes the differentiator. 

Impact for local businesses  
For small- and mid-sized businesses, this shift carries a particular opportunity. Large corporations will increasingly rely on AI to manage volume. A local business that answers its own phone, responds personally to emails and builds relationships over time offers something a national brand structurally cannot. 

An April study by AnswerConnect.com surveyed 6,000 consumers across the U.S., U.K., and Canada found that 73% would be more loyal to companies that use real people for all service interactions, up from 69% just six months earlier. Additionally, 70% believe customer service would get worse if humans were replaced by AI (up from 65%). Loyalty, it turns out, follows the human. 

Behavioral researchers have given a name to one of the most common friction points in dealing with AI: gatekeeper aversion. This is the frustration users feel when AI systems make it difficult to reach a human. The frustration is not just about the wait – it’s about feeling trapped.  

Consultants and service professionals are repositioning their value around accessibility and trusted relationships. Accountants, insurance agents, contractors and attorneys are increasingly highlighting direct access to an experienced professional who knows a client’s circumstances firsthand. This human-centered approach is helping distinguish them from both AI tools and the large firms deploying those technologies. In some markets, the phrase “you’ll always reach a person” is becoming a clear market differentiator, not just a pleasantry. 

Bottom line 
None of this means AI will slow down. The question for businesses is not whether to adopt AI tools, but how to deploy them without eroding the human relationships that generate trust and loyalty. 

The companies that let AI handle the routine work while preserving human interaction for moments that matter most will earn lasting customer loyalty. 

Human connection was never truly inefficient. It turns out it was just undervalued. 

Andy Drennen is a certified financial planner and senior portfolio manager at Simmons Private Wealth in Springfield. He can be reached at andy.drennen@simmonsbank.com.