At a café last weekend with my family, we were shown to a table and given menus. It was a busy place and it quickly became clear that the expectation was – if we ever wanted to be served – we would have to order and pay via the QR code printed on our table.

Now, this is not a post written simply to bemoan the loss of human connection during my dining experience (well, not completely) but it is a warning that when the digital experience comes at the expense of human connection, businesses should take care.

I can’t get no job satisfaction
Anyway, back at the café , there followed a frustrating few minutes doing battle with the QR code, until the job of ordering went to the Gen Zs on the table. The order went in and the drinks and food arrived, so I suppose if the only measure of success is the customers getting their food, then it was a success. But that doesn’t really tell the whole story and reflect the overall customer experience.

And, by the way, it’s not just customers who can get frustrated stabbing away at a menu on a phone, the waiters themselves are reduced to food and drink runners which can’t be a fulfilling way to pass a shift. Isn’t the best part of being a waiter chatting and interacting with the customers (yes, I know it can also be the worst)? But It surely should never be the role of the digital experience to take out one of the most valuable customer interactions a business like a café or a restaurant can have.

Human to human
From a communications perspective, whether it’s a business dealing with customers or talking to its own employees, the temptation to maximise the digital route is obvious, but it should never be at the expense of human connection. There are times when a customer wants to speak or see someone, and similarly, there are times when an employee will take on a message better when it’s delivered in person.

So, the next time your business is about to press the button on a new automated, digital, human free service, think about what it is you’re trying to achieve and just whether your purpose wouldn’t be better served by something with ‘a little more of the human touch’ (thanks Bruce).