Human touch in customer experience refers to hiring human agents and offering customer support with empathy, personalization, and creativity. This approach treats customers as individuals and not just transactions. Through it, businesses can create stronger relationships and lasting loyalty.
This era is dominated by AI and automation! Studies show that about 95% of customer interactions now use AI models. But are you getting carried away? Don’t rely 100% on AI as the real differentiator is still something deeply human.
A survey found that about 52% of customers still prefer human agents when they need empathy and real understanding. Moreover, 93.4% of consumers say they prefer interacting with a human over AI for complex or emotionally charged issues.
So, the “human touch in customer experience” is simply irreplaceable! Want a better understanding? In this article, you’ll first learn what this term means, and then understand why AI-human collaboration is the best approach in 2025. Lastly, you will check out six benefits you can realize by offering a human touch in customer experience.
What is Human Touch in Customer Experience?
The human touch in customer experience means allowing your human agents to interact with your customers in ways that show:
- Understanding
- Care
- Empathy
- Personal attention
It goes beyond scripted replies or automated systems! Most D2C companies and consumer brands earning $5M+ revenue try to offer personalized customer service by:
- Listening to the customer
- Using their name
- Acknowledging their concerns
For example, let’s say a customer says their order arrived late. Now, a human touch is not just saying “We’re sorry for the delay.” Instead, it is saying, “I understand how frustrating it is to wait for something important. Let me check your order right now and update you with a solution.”
It is more related to “customer empathy”, where you treat customers as people (not numbers). Also, your agents show patience and respect in every conversation. The advantage? Your business builds strong customer loyalty and usually turns them into “brand evangelists”.
Go For AI Human Collaboration in 2025! Check What Popular Studies Say..
AI can handle many basic tasks, such as:
- Giving order updates
- Answering FAQs
- Processing payments
But when a customer has a problem that needs empathy or creative thinking, AI often falls short. That is why several VPs, directors, and senior managers of growing D2C companies prefer AI human collaboration. They use AI only for routine tasks and hire human agents for complex queries.
For more clarity, let’s see what some popular studies have found:
| Findings | Meaning | Interpretation |
| AI manages up to 95% of customer interactions, but 52% of customers still prefer human agents for empathy | AI is good for simple and repetitive tasks like FAQs or order tracking. | You can use AI to save time on routine work, but do not depend on CX automation for 100% customer support.
Also, it is not recommended to replace your human agents with AI models. |
| 50% prefer human-led support for complex issues | Many customers believe real people solve problems better when emotions or special cases are involved. | By having a human agent available for tricky situations, you can build better customer trust. |
| 78.3% say humans solve problems faster | Human agents handle unexpected or complicated situations faster than AI. | AI-human collaboration minimizes resolution times. This leads to less frustration for your customers. |
| 84% say humans are more accurate for unusual queries | AI may give wrong answers when the situation doesn’t fit standard patterns. | Human judgment reduces mistakes, particularly in one-of-a-kind customer issues. |
6 Major Benefits of Human Touch in Customer Experience
Human touch in customer experience is irreplaceable for trust, satisfaction, and long-term brand success. In 2025, digital solutions are best viewed as an enhancement (not a replacement). Several companies blend technology (AI) + personal touch to free up human agents for higher-value and empathetic tasks.
For a deeper understanding, check out the six major benefits of human touch in customer experience:
1. Your Customers Prefer Human Agents
A national online survey of 1,011 U.S. consumers found that 88.8% of people want the option to speak with a human when dealing with a company. Even more striking, 41% are willing to pay extra just to reach a real person.
This shows that human touch in customer experience is highly valuable (not just nice to have). By offering human support, you can significantly increase customer satisfaction and even open opportunities for premium services.
2. You Can Offer Personalized Customer Service
Human agents let your customers connect emotionally with your brand. They listen with empathy makes the customers feel valued rather than treated like a number. For example,
- Let’s say a customer ordered a birthday gift, but it arrived late.
- Now, an AI bot response would be – “Your order is delayed. Expected delivery is tomorrow.”
- Whereas, a human agent’s response would be – “I’m really sorry your gift didn’t arrive on time, particularly since it was for a birthday. I’ll check what went wrong and make sure you receive it tomorrow. As a small apology, I’d also like to offer you a discount on your next order.”
This human touch in customer experience acknowledges the customer’s feelings and offers a caring solution. In contrast, the bot only shares information.
3. Your Customers Don’t Even Think of Switching
A recent study shows that human touch in customer experience builds genuine connections. In the past, this has helped businesses achieve a 67% boost in customer retention. Your customers are more likely to stay loyal when they feel part of an authentic relationship rather than just a transaction.
Now, this trust reduces customer churn and even transforms casual buyers into brand evangelists who promote your products/ services among their circles. Always remember that scripted or robotic replies leave customers frustrated!
4. You Can Earn More Revenue (Through Upselling + Cross-selling)
Human agents recognize the right moment to suggest additional products or upgrades during a conversation. They operate differently from automated systems that only push “generic offers”.
Instead, they understand the real customer’s needs and then offer recommendations that feel natural. This personal approach increases the chance of customers accepting the suggestion. The benefit? It raises your average order size and overall revenue.
For D2C companies earning $5M+ revenue, this leads to higher profits without aggressive selling. Furthermore, a personal touch in sales makes the buying process more comfortable for customers.
5. You Can Do Creative Problem Solving
Please realize that most of your customer queries don’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. Your human agents are good at handling these situations because they can think creatively and adjust to the customer’s unique problem.
For example, say a customer’s order gets lost, but they need it urgently for an event. Now, a human agent might arrange:
- An alternative product
- A special delivery
- A workaround that a system would not allow.
This ability to adapt again builds trust and keeps customers loyal.
6. You Can Stand Out from the Crowd
Many businesses today rely too much on CX automation. Yes, automation saves time, but it often feels cold and impersonal. By adding a human element, your business becomes different from the rest. This creates a strong competitive edge, because in a crowded market, being personal and human is rare.
Studies show that about 49.6% customers would cancel a service due to poor and AI-based customer service. Now, where will they go? They will obviously come to businesses like yours that offer the human option.
Need that Human Touch? Let Atidiv’s Human Agents Handle Your Customer Queries in 2025!
In 2025, about 77% of customers say they enjoy the speed and convenience of AI, but they still want the option of real human interaction. Studies show that companies blending both AI and human touch achieve four times higher customer satisfaction.
So, the lesson is clear! AI human collaboration is the way to go! Want a ready-made team of expert human agents that can start working directly for your business? You can partner with Atidiv.
We are a leading digital customer experience solutions provider with 15+ years of expertise. Our company serves 70+ clients across 20+ industries and has already saved businesses $50 million+ by providing skilled human support. Also, we use the latest AI technologies to give your customers the service they truly value!
Book your free consultation today and learn how we boost CX.
Human Touch in Customer Experience FAQs
1. Why can’t I just rely on AI for customer service?
Most companies use AI to handle simple + repetitive tasks like order tracking or FAQs. However, when it comes to complex queries or issues that require empathy, AI fails!
Without human support, these cases frustrate customers and significantly hurt business trust. Thus, AI human collaboration is one of the best approaches that most D2C companies and consumer brands have adopted in 2025.
2. What is Emotionally Intelligent AI? Can I use it to replace my human agents in 2025?
Emotionally Intelligent AI, also called Emotion AI, is the latest technology that can understand human emotions (or cues), such as fear, anger, frustration, and more. Based on this knowledge, they offer more empathetic responses.
While it can enhance customer communication, businesses cannot 100% depend on it. Emotional AI may detect emotions, but again, it lacks:
- Real empathy
- Cultural understanding
- Creative problem-solving
For sensitive or complex situations, human touch in customer experience is still necessary.
3. Isn’t hiring human agents more expensive?
At first, yes! But human agents often:
- Prevent costly mistakes
- Retain more customers
- Create upsell opportunities
The result is higher revenue + stronger customer loyalty, which offsets the cost. As a business owner, you can think of it as an investment in long-term growth (not just an expense).
4. What do customers prefer, AI or humans, in 2025?
As per a survey conducted in 2025, 93.4% of consumers said they prefer speaking with a human when dealing with complex or emotionally sensitive issues. This shows that while AI can handle simple tasks, customers trust people more for situations that need empathy and judgment.
5. Can combining AI with humans save me money?
By adopting emotionally intelligent AI systems, you can reduce the workload of your staff and free up more of their time. Also, you can benefit from CX automation, where routine questions/ FAQs are being handled by AI models.
On the other hand, whenever any complex or sensitive cases come, the AI escalates the issue and transfers it to human agents. This balance avoids overstaffing and lets you save operational costs. For example, by outsourcing to Atidiv, you can achieve up to 60% cost savings.