A business that moves entirely online risks losing the customers who still want to speak to a real person before making a decision, particularly for higher-value purchases or when something goes wrong. Most customers now research online before buying, but a meaningful share still complete the purchase, or resolve a problem, through a human conversation, which means a business optimising only for digital self-service is quietly leaving some customers underserved.
The most effective customer experience blends convenient digital channels with a genuinely accessible human option, rather than treating one as a replacement for the other.
Digital research and human purchase decisions often coexist
A customer researching a product or service online frequently still wants to speak to someone before committing, particularly for anything with real cost or complexity attached. A business that makes it hard to reach a real person once a customer is ready to buy risks losing that customer at the final, most important step.
Consistency across channels matters more than presence on every channel
Customers increasingly expect to move between channels, starting a query online and finishing it by phone, or vice versa, without having to repeat themselves or receive contradictory information. A business does not need to be present on every possible channel, but it does need the channels it does use to share information consistently.
Human interaction becomes more, not less, important when something goes wrong
Self-service and automated responses work well for routine queries, but a customer with a genuine problem or complaint wants to reach a real person who can actually resolve it, and a business that hides its human support behind layers of automated deflection damages trust exactly when it matters most.
Asking customers how they want to be reached is more reliable than assuming
Customer communication preferences vary by age, by industry and by the nature of the enquiry, which means assuming what channel customers prefer is less reliable than periodically asking them directly. A business that keeps checking this, rather than assuming its channel mix from a few years ago still reflects current customer preference, adapts faster than one that does not.
Frequently asked questions
Does having a strong online presence reduce the need for human customer support?
No, it changes what human support is needed for. Customers still frequently want to speak to a person before a significant purchase or when resolving a problem, even after doing most of their research online.
Why does channel consistency matter more than being present everywhere?
Because customers increasingly move between channels for the same enquiry, and contradictory information or having to repeat themselves across channels damages trust more than being absent from a channel entirely.
Is automated self-service ever a bad substitute for human support?
Yes, particularly when a customer has a genuine problem or complaint. Hiding human support behind layers of automated deflection tends to damage trust exactly when a customer most needs a resolution.
How can a business know which communication channels its customers actually prefer?
By asking directly and periodically, rather than assuming, since preferences vary by age, industry and the nature of the enquiry, and can shift meaningfully over just a few years.
Should a small business try to be active on every available communication channel?
Not necessarily. It is more important that the channels a business does use are consistent and genuinely responsive than that the business is spread thinly across every possible option.
Originally published in April 2017. Updated September 2026 to reflect current omnichannel customer expectations rather than the original single-source commentary.
