When I ask that question I get the usual answers, "speed," and "greater accuracy," but the only real difference is emotion. Why would anyone go to a store to buy a shirt when you can find virtually thousands of options online? Purchasing online saves time and gas money, and avoids parking hassles, crowds, and the stress of not finding what you want. With all that efficiency, why deal with people?

The reason is described in the book, Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect. The author, Matthew D. Lieberman, cites research in the field of social-neuroscience. The findings discovered that, without social interaction, our brains literally begin to break down. Every human's brain has a default setting; a type of thinking that engages whenever the brain isn't actively thinking about something or figuring out a problem. This default thinking takes over whenever the brain is at rest. The brain's default setting is social thinking. Even when given only a few seconds rest between problems, the brain will immediately revert to thinking social thoughts; "How do I fit in?" "What do people think of me?" "How will I resolve that personal issue?"

The fact that our brains are wired to engage socially forces us away from our computers, with their highly efficient yet soulless options, and into places where people gather. As a friend once said, "Every now and then we need to breathe the same air." So what are you doing to make sure that, when people make the decision to interact with your business on a personal level, they get something personal? Most of the places I call might as well use a robot to answer the phone. Even worse that a robot, some people sound audibly upset that I interrupted them. "Joe's Body Shop" could be replaced with "Joe's Body Shop, what do you want!?"

And, to those companies trying to train empathy; it isn't working. If I hear one more customer service rep recite, "I am very sorry you are experiencing this problem and I will do my best to rectify the situation" I am going to reply with the same monotone, "I am very sorry that you have to repeat this phrase, especially when you so obviously don't mean it. Is there a human with whom I can speak? Preferable someone who still possesses a pulse?"

Connecting with another person is not that difficult, but it does take work. It takes training your staff to understand the true purpose of their job, connecting with someone. It takes looking at the person behind the sale, the problem, or the request. I think every phone in every company should have a sign above it that reads, What if it was your mother on the other end? And the benefit to a more human workplace pays off for staff as well. The human brain has an internal time clock. The clock either drags or flies by. Our clocks drag when we are engaged in repetitive tasks, but speeds up when we engage in conversation. If you want your staff to feel like the day flies by, don't have them read a script or recite policy, have them actually talk to someone.

Reciting demands no brain power, so ideas come more slowly (resulting in poor solutions). Conversing draws from the highest functioning cortexes of the brain, making problem solving easier. Conversation creates a better human connection, which translates to sales.

What are you doing to bring the human element into human interactions? Listen to phone calls; not just for accuracy, but for connection. Real human connection is easy to track, there will be more laughter, a greater range in the pitch of the voices (rather than monotone), greater forgiveness for inconvenience (for instance, a long period of time on hold), and a conclusion that is more than just "Have a nice day." Human connection is not as subjective as you might think, but it is better business.

Stevie Ray is a nationally recognized corporate speaker and trainer, helping companies improve communication skills, customer service, leadership, and team management.  He can be reached at www.stevierays.org or stevie@stevierays.org.

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