The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to reshape the way we work. Every sector will feel its impact. This includes health care, retail and everything in between. As technology evolves, the question becomes how do we evolve in parallel? John Naisbitt provides the answer in his book “Megatrends.” Although published in 1982, his insights are as relevant today as they were then.

One quote stands out in particular: “The more high technology around us, the more the need for human touch.”

We need to pay close attention to Naisbitt’s words. As AI proliferates, there must be compensatory progress of the human touch. The end result being a balance of high tech and high touch. This isn’t simply a spiritual mantra. The balance of tech and touch drives business outcomes. These include strengthening customer loyalty, increasing transaction sizes and driving repeat business.

Here are some examples of where tech balances with touch.

1. Self-checkout at a department or a grocery store. The kiosks operate in the presence of at least one or two staff associates. They correct scanning errors, apply discounts and help first-time kiosk users. The check-out process slows down without associates, hurting the customer experience.

2. Beauty product search and personalization through virtual try-on. The customer can visualize how the product will look before buying. Adding in the option of a virtual chat with an associate allows for the presence of the human touch. This helps secure the sale and provides an upsell opportunity.

3. Fashion has always struggled with planning the right sizes in an assortment. Sizing tech solutions can help brands improve sizing and fit. Body scanning can pull in a large volume of data and create size buckets. But not everyone fits perfectly into their respective bucket. Skilled hands will need to make custom adjustments to complete the fit.

 
 Liza Amlani, a co-founder of the Retail Strategy Group, spoke at VM’s Leadership Summit in March. She said, “To understand the buying habits of customers, technologies such as AI should complement rather than dominate the customer experience.”
  
Vision retail is a perfect example of where high tech/high touch balance is applicable. The category sits in a unique position, straddling health care and fashion. Remarkable strides are being made in health care, some of which are attributed to AI. The fashion component helps to achieve balance.

This is because customers are emotionally involved here. Eyewear is a fashion accessory. It complements the customer's look and draws attention. Careful consultation helps the customer make a good fashion choice. This is exactly where we need the human touch.

Clienteling provides the human touch. Retail sales associates practice clienteling to build long-term customer relationships. This is done through low-tech means. Low-tech tools include asking thoughtful questions, diligent follow-up and informing customers of new products.

This is what I did in my early days in retail, working the shop floor at Harrods. At the time, I used a little black book to document client information and a telephone to communicate with my customers. There was no AI, no virtual chat and no remote styling sessions. Even though such tools exist today, they do not trump the fundamentals of clienteling. And this is what customers crave across all their retail experiences.

For the vision industry, technology will continue to impact and improve patient care. The human touch must also be kept in focus. When businesses balance high tech with high touch, the customer benefits. When the customer benefits, businesses will continue to succeed.

By embracing the balance of technology and touch, businesses can not only thrive but also create meaningful and lasting relationships with their customers. In the end, it is this balance that ensures mutual benefit and sustains long-term success in an increasingly digitized world.

Ironically, high tech is becoming easier, but it cannot be at the expense of high touch.




Liza Amlani and Raj Dhiman both co-founded the Retail Strategy Group, a company that helps brands and retail clients improve profitability and organizational effectiveness. Amlani spoke at VM’s Leadership Summit in March prior to Vision Expo East. Her presentation, titled “Keeping the Customer In Focus: Clienteling for Retail Eyewear,” focused on finding the right balance between technology and human interaction in today’s age of artificial intelligence.