Consumers are turning away from 'efficient but cold' service and back toward human connection

GOLD COAST, Australia - EntSun -- Across industries and across borders, consumers are becoming less tolerant of customer experiences that are fast, automated, and technically efficient, but emotionally disconnected.

As businesses invest heavily in AI, self-service systems, and digital processes, a noticeable shift is emerging. Customers are gravitating toward brands that feel human, consistent, and accountable.

Customer experience specialist and Managing Director of Customer Culture, Justin Herald, says many organisations are misunderstanding what modern customers actually want.

"Customers don't expect perfection," Herald said. "They want certainty. They want follow-through. They want to feel like they matter. Technology can improve speed, but it can't replace care."

Herald says many businesses have unintentionally replaced service with systems, believing that faster equals better. But customers are thinking something much simpler.

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"Do these people actually care?" he said.

Herald, creator of the Service Rebellion™ movement, believes the businesses that thrive won't be those with the most impressive marketing, but those that customers trust.

"People don't remember your processes," Herald said. "They remember how you made them feel. Connection is becoming the new competitive advantage."

Customers aren't demanding luxury or being "high maintenance". They are exhausted by inconsistency, vague communication, and broken promises.

"Customers want to know what happens next," he said. "They want updates, clarity, and follow-through. Uncertainty is the fastest way to destroy trust."

He says customer experience is rarely ruined by one major mistake, but by a pattern of small let-downs that make people feel unimportant.

According to Herald, a key driver of service decline is the assumption that staff should naturally 'just know' how to deliver great customer experiences.

"For years, businesses relied on hiring good people and hoping for the best," Herald said. "But hope is not a strategy. When businesses don't train and reinforce standards, service becomes random depending on who the customer gets on the day."

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"Service is not a personality trait," he said. "It's a standard. It needs to be trained, reinforced, and led."

Herald says businesses are now adopting the Service Rebellion™ movement to rebuild loyalty through stronger standards, accountability and human connection.

"This is a rebellion against average," Herald said. "Against the belief that service is optional. The businesses that win will be the ones who raise the standard when it would be easier not to."

About Justin Herald
Justin Herald is a customer experience specialist, Managing Director of Customer Culture, and creator of the Service Rebellion™ movement. He works with organisations globally to improve customer experience through service standards, leadership behaviours, and consistent execution.
https://customerculture.com/

Media Enquiries
Justin Herald
Managing Director, Customer Culture
justin@CustomerCulture.com