Schmidt: The Disconnect 

In a time when people are craving human connection and personalized care, are we becoming increasingly disconnected from humanity, under the guise of AI convenience? I am bombarded daily with the newest and greatest AI robot that promises to speed up workflow by answering phones or aiding with remote work. But I never see one that engages in deep and meaningful ways with a consumer. That’s because it can’t. A computer program can never give you true understanding, connection, or general conversation filled with actual feelings and thoughts. At best, it gives generic responses that leave a void in the business-to-client relationship. While there are those business owners that are fine with manufactured responses and reduced contact, I am akin to the ideology that auto shop owners are in the people business. And people need people. It seems a little risky to leave relationship cultivation in the hands of robots.

A Simple Touch Point 

Imagine your customer calling your shop for car repair. They are stressed out and anxious about the outcome. When the shop phone rings, it can be managed in a couple ways. They can press 1,2, or 3, which generally fuels frustration, or they can be greeted with a calm and confident voice. At our shop, we choose to manage people with people. Two advisors manage the front desk while a marketing manager flawlessly handles phone calls. We could have one person and an AI assistant directing calls and sending messages, but a long time ago we outlined how we wanted to manage communication, and our guest viewpoint of it. We knew we wanted to create meaningful relationships, and the team we put in place does so in such positive and engaging ways. We built our brand around serving people, so having anything other than a person meeting, greeting, and caring for our guests seems off brand. Our guests confirm daily how much human interaction means to them. We never underestimate the power of a smile, a calm tone, and an authentic, helpful spirit. 

AI has a Place 

I am not telling you AI is wrong, or that automating systems won’t help. I am not trying to shame you if you use these tools. They provide options and assistance inside the workplace. I would be a hypocrite to say we don’t use them in some form. In fact, we recently launched an AI tool on our website that helps our guests determine what could potentially be going on with their car. However, that tool redirects them immediately to our service team so the human experience doesn’t falter, and we can step in as the experts.  

Put People First 

And although it’s true that a computer program costs significantly less than someone on payroll, if you have the right people in place, they will pay for themselves a million times over. The three people that manage the guests at our shop are invaluable. They solve problems, create schedules, keep promises, and deepen trust on the phones. The dynamics they bring to our brand are uncanny and having standards in our communication allows us to set them up for success. I am not sure I could say the same thing about a computer program. Whether you opt to staff with humans or robots, consider what communication looks like on your ship, and attemp to avoid the disconnect.