It's Great To Automate - BUT You STILL Need To COMMUNICATE

I totally agree. When a business ignores customer requests, especially repeat customer requests, they are doing themselves a big disservice.

You’ve hit the nail on the head, Candice A. Donofrio! It's a shame when automation overwhelms personal touch—your insights serve as a vital reminder that real connections and communication are what keep customers coming back. Thanks for sharing your perspective!

Wow.. that's crazy.

Good evening Candice,

That's a shame she doesn't have time to answer repeat customers questions, she has zoned out and will loose more business because she obviously doesn't care! 

Hi Candice- some automation is helpful but when you have a question from a customer, you need to take action. Pick up the email/text/smoke signals and make contact!!! Libra. 

My Dad has a basic phone but instead of having to push the 7 button 4 times on his, I push it once and then have to scroll over to the letter I am trying to choose, haha.  It is so frustrating and I thought it would be what you described instead, haha.

Whenever I'm teaching a class to RE agents, I'm constantly reminding them (I'm sure to them it's excessive, but I don't care) of the importance of keeping in touch and communicating with your customers. It's a relationship business, and relationships require communication. And, not just texting, IM'ing, and email, but a personal phone call every now and then. I'm sure I'm sounding like a dinasaur to them, but no one wants to talk to one another anymore. The comment I get - it's not good time management! Great post and continued success to you!

Candice, great points about how NOT to use automation.

Those phones brought a smile on my face, yes, I remember them. 

President Truman's words "the buck stops here." are 3 words I have lived by since I started in sales over 5 decades ago.  Technology is a tool, only a tool. Technology including AI has no soul. Great post, thank you.

Many people are so busy finding new clients they forget it is much easier to sell to past clients and to show them some love.

Nothing beats face to face or simply picking up the phone and talking. 

Most Instructors are teaching the need to touch your Database/SOI with numerous methods . Most insist that you need to physically call them every quarter.

I like to followup with many different formats...but I do not use messenger much as it is tied to the computer and to my wife's phone number as mine was flagged 3 or 4 years ago when my FB page was shut down by FB.  

I will admit that there have been a couple times in my career where I have not answered or made a call efficiently enough and it has cost me a client. 

Hey...one other thing...where is the photo of the old Brick phone?  Those things even worked in the mountains around Colorado Springs back in the early '90's!

Interpersonal communication will always be relevant no matter how much technology is brought in. Great post on this topic.

I think it is time for you to think of a new excellent gift for your client.

Automation has made its way into every aspect of our lives, unfortunately, BB. I want to talk, then listen to a human voice when calling, so do our clients.

Oh, and on my wish list is someone that I can easily understand. Apparently, it's too much to ask in so many cases these days! 💋

There is nothing worse than poor communications.  I just dropped my new doctor because her communication system was so poor.  I think she hired an outside company to answer her phones (at least, I hope its not her own people).  Anyway, I couldn't understand the operator.  She couldn't understand me even when I talked very slow and she just could get that I just wanted to make an appointment with the doctor.  Heck, that's her job.  I hope you are doing well!!!!

Candice A. Donofrio - Until now, I never heard of having to press 7 several times to get a letter s. That sounds crazy!

Also, I never automated my business, but I did have a recent experience just before Christmas last year. I was looking for a particular product from Maine. I found what appeared to be the perfect catalogue place and tried to contact the company to no avail. Because the address was very familiar to me because I lived in Maine, I called another store I shopped at within a few miles from that store I was trying to place an order. As luck would have it, that store replied back: "Never heard of them."

It makes me wonder how many stores and products are out on the Internet and nobody is there.