Each quarter, we highlight emerging signals in the market, explain why they matter, and share our perspective on what they could mean for your business.
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Want to talk through what these shifts mean for your customers? We’re always happy to connect.
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The Human Moments Automation Can’t Replace |
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The signal:
Automation is expanding across the customer experience through AI, chatbots, portals, and self-service tools. These tools can make simple moments faster and easier, but they often break down when customers are making decisions, assessing risk, or trying to understand what comes next.
When the need is simple, automation works well. But when the situation is more complex, speed alone is not enough. Customers need context, reassurance, and a clear path forward.
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Why it matters:
Organizations risk optimizing for speed and efficiency in moments where customers actually need support and understanding. That gap can lead to hesitation, confusion, or decisions that don’t fully meet their needs.
Our perspective:
The opportunity is not to reduce automation. It is to be more intentional about where it works best, where customers need more support, and how each moment should be designed. The strongest experiences come from knowing when efficiency helps, and when human guidance matters more.
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The signal:
Hotels are using AI concierges and digital tools to help guests get quick answers, make requests, and access support around the clock.
Why it matters:
Convenience matters, but hospitality is still shaped by warmth, responsiveness, and the feeling of being cared for.
Our perspective:
Automation works best when it handles routine needs and creates space for staff to focus on the moments guests remember most.
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| The signal:
Patients are turning to AI tools for quick health information, whether to understand symptoms, interpret results, or decide what to do next.
Why it matters:
Speed is helpful, but health decisions often involve uncertainty and risk. Patients need credible guidance and a clear path forward when stakes are higher.
Our perspective:
AI can improve access to information, but trust depends on connecting that information to reliable guidance and human expertise when it matters most.
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The signal:
Consumers are using AI to compare banking products, understand financial terms, and explore options, but many hesitate to fully trust AI-generated advice.
Why it matters:
Financial decisions are personal and often complex. Customers need transparency, context, and confidence in the guidance they receive.
Our perspective:
Financial institutions can build trust by simplifying the journey with digital tools while ensuring human support is available in moments that require judgment and context.
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The real "job" behind the customer choice |
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Customers don’t make decisions in isolation. They choose what helps them make progress in a specific moment.
That is the idea behind Jobs to Be Done (JTBD), an approach we use to better understand what customers are really trying to accomplish.
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The signal:
A customer’s "job" is not always obvious. It may include:
- Functional needs: what they need to get done
- Emotional needs: how they want to feel
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Social needs: how they want to be understood
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Why it matters:
As more experiences become automated, it becomes easier to miss what customers are really trying to accomplish. JTBD helps uncover unmet needs, hidden friction, and gaps between the experience and the outcome customers want.
Our perspective:
JTBD provides a practical way to define value from the customer’s point of view. It helps teams prioritize what matters most and design experiences that are not just efficient, but more useful and relevant.
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| Three quick takes on business, leadership, and workplace culture from Schmidt President & CEO Kevin Srigley.
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If you do just one thing this quarter... |
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Pressure-test one automated moment.
Look at one point in your journey where customers are expected to move quickly, self-serve, or make a decision on their own.
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Then ask:
- What are they really trying to do?
- Where might they feel uncertain, stuck, or unsupported?
- What would help them move forward?
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Why it matters:
A faster experience is not always a better one. In decision moments, customers need the right information at the right time in a way that helps them take the next step.
Our perspective:
The goal is not to add human support everywhere. It is to know where support changes outcomes, and where automation can make the experience easier without leaving customers on their own.
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 | Where You'll Find Us |
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The Quirk's Event
New York, NY
July 29-30, 2026
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| Insights Association | CRC
Chicago, IL
September 15-17, 2026
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| MSU MSMR
Spartan Insights Summit
East Lansing, MI
September 24, 2026
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