While I may not agree with the model, replacing employees with technology is a widely used strategy. Banks, fast food, airlines, software, and companies from across almost every industry are implementing machines and artificial intelligence (AI) that ideally cost less than their human equivalents. Job loss resulting from these decisions is inevitable, but humans are still needed.

The issue is that, most of these companies don’t consider why humans were necessary in the first place. The reasons people are necessary goes beyond the fact there historically was no other option. People are important to the process! Not to mention, automation has other intrinsic flaws: Accessibility issues, hackability issues, use cases that the technology cannot handle, and empathy are all things machines just aren’t ready for. Before starting on a path to automation, companies must consider the friction that humans erased for their customers and how automation can also remove those roadblocks.

“How can we help you?”

I recently had to take out more than my daily limit from my bank account. Something an ABM cannot handle. I came into the branch and saw a line of people, 4 empty teller spaces, and sign that read “How can we help you?”

My immediate answer to that question was (especially given I could hear voices in the back offices laughing and chatting loudly): open more tellers booths so you can service the people in line! That’s how I wanted to be helped. But then the CX side of my brain and the business side of my brain started thinking: What if they just allowed me to do what I want without a person? If their goal is to reduce staff (😔), then their goal should also be to allow the use cases that require staff to be achieved without staff.

For example, I needed more money than my daily limit from an ABM allows. This limit is in place both for the bank’s liability and my safety as a customer. But what if I could temporarily raise the limit, either through the banking app, or maybe through a 2FA beyond my debit card and PIN? It’s unlikely that a theoretical criminal has my debit card, my PIN, and access to either my banking app or 2FA Code generator. The bank maintains their security and has removed friction from my process.

Or maybe there is a better solution? Regardless, these types of solutions need to become more prevalent as the shift to automation continues.

The AI Cat is out of the bag

We will not stop automation. It’s here to stay. But what we can fight for is automation that actually improves, or at minimum mimics, the customer experience we want. It should not be acceptable that companies can reduce our experience to their benefit without providing us with some value as well.