The Spaceship, the Ark, and What Technology Can't Replace

Providing customer service is not for the faint of heart.

It’s been over a decade now, and the longer I serve in this capacity, the more it feels like a battlefield. Not customer vs. support, but tradition vs. progress. It’s the process, the “way it’s always been done” vs. automation and technology.

Regardless of what the process looks like centuries from now, one thing will always be crucial…

The human touch.

I received a voicemail last week from a sweet lady who referred to herself as having “just stepped off Noah’s Ark.” I couldn’t help but giggle. I’ve heard folks refer to themselves as dinosaurs or not tech-savvy.

But this one was new.

Of course, my curiosity was piqued.

I called her back, and she was just as kind in person. Each question I asked came with an answer, but first, a story.

In this moment, I had a choice: follow the script, collect the information, keep the line moving, or I could slow down, lean in, and listen to the human behind the problem.

I chose the latter.

“You just stepped off Noah’s Ark, and our company is flying a spaceship. I’m here to merge the two.”

She laughed heartily in response.

Nothing could erase that moment, the moment when we connected. Two strangers, separated by technology and probably a few decades, suddenly on the same team.

While she talked, I worked. And without either of us announcing it, we were getting somewhere.

What could have been a routine phone call ended with a solution. But most importantly, it ended with delight. She felt seen instead of processed. And that feeling was mutual.

For a while, it felt like Covid tried to evict connection altogether. Automation is starting that cycle over again.

We will never not need one another.

Lean in. Take the time. It’s those moments where unexpected delight can happen. Not because the system is perfect, but because we showed up for each other.