Do We Prefer Talking to Humans or Machines in Customer Service

Everyday Encounters with AI

Think about the last time you had to return something you ordered online. Maybe a pair of shoes that looked great on the website but felt like bricks once you tried them on. Chances are, you didn’t call a person you clicked through an AI driven return system or messaged a chatbot. The same goes for package tracking, booking a hotel, or checking a bank balance. Machines are quietly everywhere in customer service now, and we’re getting used to it.

But here’s the interesting question: does it really matter to us whether we’re talking to a chatbot or a human? Many people assume that most of us would prefer a real person every time. A new large scale study suggests the truth is a bit more complicated and, in some cases, surprising.

What the Study Looked At

Researchers from Aalborg University and Catholic University Eichstätt Ingolstadt pulled together results from 327 experiments with almost 282,000 participants. That’s not a small sample it’s a sweeping look at how people actually react to different types of service agents.

The results were published in the Journal of Marketing. And they challenge a common assumption: that people almost always want to talk to another human being. According to the findings, artificial agents chatbots, virtual assistants, even robots often do just fine. In many cases, the gap between machine and human service is much smaller than we’d expect.

As Professor Holger Roschk, one of the lead authors, put it: “It is often postulated that customers prefer to talk to a human, and many are skeptical of machines. But when we look at actual behavior whether people buy something, follow advice, or make a return the differences are often small.”

The Context Really Matters

This is the heart of it. Whether we prefer human or machine depends heavily on the situation. Treating all customer service interactions as the same misses the nuance.

Take sensitive purchases, for example. Imagine ordering something embarrassing let’s say a rash cream or a very specific kind of underwear. Many people would rather type their issue into a chatbot than look a pharmacy clerk in the eye. In that scenario, the “coldness” of AI becomes an asset.

Machines also shine when the task is purely functional. If you want an algorithm to calculate the shortest delivery route or suggest your correct clothing size on a website, you don’t really need a warm smile or empathetic tone. You just need the right answer.

Even when it comes to delivering bad news, AI can sometimes feel easier. Hearing a loan application was rejected is unpleasant, but getting that verdict from a machine can blunt the sting. We don’t assume the machine is judging us it’s just following rules.

Where Machines Struggle

Still, there are clear limits. No matter how clever an algorithm is, it can’t truly replicate human empathy. Think of a customer who’s furious because their vacation flight was canceled at the last minute. A chatbot can spit out refund policies, but it won’t really hear the frustration in the same way a skilled human agent can.

Humans are also better at improvisation. If a situation gets weird, complicated, or emotional, machines tend to fall apart. Anyone who has argued with a chatbot that refuses to understand a simple request knows exactly what I mean.

So while AI has its strengths, pretending it can replace humans across the board would be naïve. Roschk himself emphasized this point: “Technology has clear limits. In situations where empathy, spontaneity, and situational awareness are particularly necessary, it is crucial to have people in the shop and behind the screen.”

Robots in the Physical World

The study didn’t just look at chatbots and virtual assistants. It also considered physical robots. These tend to do well in tasks where motor skills or simple labor are needed hotel room service robots that deliver fresh towels, or warehouse robots moving boxes from one place to another.

Nobody really expects these robots to “feel human,” and that might actually be their advantage. When a hotel robot rolls up to your room with an extra pillow, you don’t need small talk. You just need the pillow.

The Human Like Question

There’s an old assumption that artificial agents should be designed to act as human as possible that the closer they mimic us, the more we’ll accept them. But this research suggests that isn’t always true. Sometimes it’s better when a chatbot sounds like a clear, efficient machine rather than a clumsy imitation of a person.

If you’ve ever used a chatbot that tries too hard to be “friendly” with fake jokes and emojis, you know how irritating it can feel. We don’t necessarily want machines to pretend they’re human. Sometimes honesty being a machine is more comfortable.

A Balanced View

So where does that leave us? The study’s takeaway isn’t that machines are “better” or that humans are “obsolete.” Instead, it highlights that different tasks call for different approaches.

If I’m trying to reorder printer ink or confirm delivery times, I don’t really need to wait for a human agent. But if my grandmother is struggling to understand why her bank account was frozen, she deserves a patient, empathetic human voice on the line.

In other words, the future of customer service probably isn’t an either/or situation. It’s a blend machines for efficiency, humans for empathy.

Final Thoughts

We often treat AI in customer service as an all or nothing debate, but the reality is more nuanced. Sometimes we actually prefer a machine especially when the situation calls for speed, discretion, or emotion free clarity. Other times, no chatbot in the world can match a kind human who listens and responds with genuine care.

What this big meta analysis really shows is that our reactions are situational, not absolute. And maybe that’s the healthiest way to think about it. Rather than asking, “Should machines replace humans?” the better question is, “When does it make sense to use each?”

Because in the end, whether it’s a chatbot guiding you through a return or a real person calming you down after a canceled trip, the point of customer service is the same: making sure we feel understood and supported. And sometimes, the best way to get there is knowing when to let the machines handle the awkward stuff and when to let humans handle the rest.

Open Your Mind !!!

Source: TechExplore