Human Intervention as a Competitive Advantage

Y-freaking-ES!

lol, I love your reaction! And method. Seeing his face would've been lovely :D

I can't agree more. Easy to read, harder to implement, but WORTH the investment!

Exactly. I called a 1-800 number the other day to get an insurance quote and was shocked that a human being answered. What a wonderful experience! Here was a company that thought about ME, rather than about themselves.

Pretty interesting!

Yes!!!!!!!!! Totally relevant and up-to-date. That "Humanity" element is key in so many ways! As always your article is so refreshing, inspiring and empowering!!

I agree 100%, Derek. We're going back full circle to the way our grandparents used to do business, human to human contact. In an automated world, it's the one way to truly stand out.

Jeff Rivera
Bestselling Author & Entrepreneur

Somehow I figured this out in 1984 when I got my first computer. It didn't save time; it made me more efficient. But the more opportunities I could explore for "high touch" instead of "high tech", the more successful I was.

lol, how did you remember all the albums derek?
Same as you remember your favorite albums! The great stuff sticks with you. That said, we also kept internal notes for reference, so if I was thinking, “What was that weird Gamelan-style band that said they sound like Tom Waits but actually sound like a Balinese Björk?”, then I had some internal text to search to find it. This system scaled quite well up to the 250,000 albums we had on CD Baby by the time I left. — Derek

My thoughts ?
You are dead right but mine are a little too much. But all of them are here
http://firstdiscipline.com/

Best

Amen! I believe and hope that we'll see a mainstream comeback to a more human touch in the near future. (5-7 years)

Really love this post. Certainly an argument I'm (unfortunately?) accustomed to having.

Totally agree. I think a lot of the modern technology is great for doing things quickly but the human element should not be lost. This scenereo will probably continue to happen in many areas and I think a lot of people will be annoyed by this, it's already happening.
This country is sold on technology [which is great] but if we lose the human element then we are just machines.

Always love your #ThoughtProvoking articles!
Curious if we *all* know the company that courted you that night for dinner?
Back in 1999 you would have, yeah. They're gone now. No need to name names. — Derek

EPIC. Thanks for keeping it real Derek.

"Listen to the Music" - The Doobie Brothers
LOL - Thanks for the in-joke of putting “Coming Soon” as your URL here. Ordinarily I'd clean that up, but today I'm going to leave it as-is for the joke. — Derek

I was just having this same conversation recently. Like Jeff said, things seem to be going full circle... as they inevitably do. So move over accountants... You've had your day of squeezing the 'life' out of the business world. Personal customer service and attention to detail are coming back in vogue and a sure way to make you stand out (these days) - sad as that is.
Good to read your story Derek.

You are correct ... the businesses I best like business with have a local (US) presence, have a live customer service person ... that person is friendly and competent and personable. So will Facebook or Youtube fail because of a lack of that human touch? You really wonder. I could go through all my trials and tribulations with ATT and Ebay or even our elected officials. But that depresses most people.

I love it! I was just talking with my web-guy today.. I wanted to remove the 'automated' process of signing up to my email newsletter -- I wanted to send a personalized email to everyone who signed up and offer them something cool - like a free piece of sheet music or free MP3 download - but I think it's so important to start the relationship with a HUMAN interaction! As always, your timing with this article is brilliant... Thanks!

During the early days of the Internet I served as a facilitator and strategist for a web development company.

I regularly challenged clients to have a "high touch" to match all of their "high tech". And some even listened.

Really like this post. Thanks for sharing. I just posted in on facebook to enlarge the conversation.

Keep creating...and stirring things up,
Mike

WOW. Soooo true!!!

It's funny until you realize how many people in business just don't understand the power of the human. They see people as costly and inefficient and look for ways to remove them from the process. I've dealt with it with some of the startups I've consulted on. Most of them just don't see the value of the human.

Nice story.

Yes! And the real human communicating seems to be a bit of a dying skill set as I watch a younger tech savvy generation enter the work-force with their faces buried in phones etc. I hope your human intervention theory will still have value as tech advances goes forward. I'm Gen-X and it will always have value to me. Thanks!

Nothing beats the human touch.

Technology can help.

For example, today I went to an audiobook site, and within 10 seconds of perusing their page, a chat box popped up. Kevin, I think was his name, was courteous, helpful, etc.

Great experience.

Right on! Thank you for the wonderful insight! I wish it was like that... ;)

my Canadien friend, Corin Raymond, has a marvelous album called There Will Always Be A Small Time---this real person approach lives in the small time but i long for the days when it translates to the BIG TIME

i secretly always wanted a phone phreak blue box type of thing i could press the button on and fry the "select option 3" phone message options---the frustration of being on hold for twenty two minutes only to get to a multiple choice menu with really bad music is too much for an old guy like me---okay, time for a deep breath---hoping all is well with you derek---frank

I think a good balance, or at least starting point for some of these companies that are too user-algorithm based, is to at least add customer service by phone and email with real humans.
I love, (as a musician) that Soundexchange, CDbaby and Hostbaby, for example, have real people who I can talk to over the phone, as well as good email support. I don't love that Facebook and Google almost have a strategy of never allowing any interaction between users of the sites and a human being regarding a question we have as users of their site or apps. I certainly think these other services would be more valuable with the human element brought back in.
Oh- and one of the big mistakes some companies make is having human customer service who have to obey scripted responses and don't seem to have any way to work in real time to customize the customer experience, and really listen.

Totally and completely on point. Nothing can put a caller more at ease than a kind helpful person on the other end of the line. That was one of the coolest things about dealing with CDBaby. You got to speak with a person regarding your music.

If you go to enough shows, you hear people saying, "Yeah, I know that guy. We hung out one night when he used to play with "The Bad beats" . It could have just been a brief conversation, but people remember and appreciate it. In the long run, nothing pays off like positive human interaction.

Great article ! Thanks to Pamela, too:-)
Yeah. She was amazing. She listened to over 100,000 albums over 6+ years or so. — Derek

Did you draw this? This is Wilhelm Bush level! Wow.... congrats!
No no! Open clip art from 1900. — Derek

It really resonated with me, as the Silly Valley folks would say.

Hooooorah! Preach it Derek.
Humans - the essential flaw in a digital age. :)

Derek, you hit the nail on the head here. This is one of the things I am doing with http://aded.us I wanted to focus more on customer service than this generic, automated user pages crap that almost every one of the distributors are doing. Sadly to say, since you left, CDBaby seems to be less focused on customer service and more focused on automation.

Derek, once again you nailed it! Thanks for all you share.

Good post. We just "scaled" by hiring someone to help with making all the human connections. Great decision so far, people want to talk with our assistant more than us now!

I like the drawing at the end of the post. Didn't get it for a minute, then got it :)

Having moved back to Asia a year ago after decades in the US, it's easier to see the multi-layered impact of mainstream America's consuming (pun intended) passion for automation tools and customer dehumanization.

Derek and Seth Godin have offered some great antidotes to the Calvinistic vanillafication of our prospects/customers and the consumer public.

1984 has come and gone without notice. In frenzied pursuit of unengaged wealth we recoil from social texture and quirkiness into the arms of snake-oil salesmen who offer us everything for nothing.

A favorite writer, James Agee, writing during the Depression that "a neurosis can be valuable . . . 'adjustment' to a sick and insane environment is of itself not "health" but sickness and insanity."

Great post... I'm obsessed with our customer service emails, I "audit" them constantly to get a pulse. So many of these so-called "start ups" try to automate way to early. Takes a lot of listening to understand what your customers really like.

My first jobs were in record, yes vinyl record distribution. I was in the sales department with indie record distributors and I listened to as many of the releases I could so I could point my shops to the kinds of music they were already successfully selling. If I could have had Pamela's job at CD Baby I would have been a happy camper....

Your blogs are brilliant and this one is no exception. The way for companies and individuals in business to differentiate themselves is by making the experience of dealing with them easy, fun too while getting great results.

Great article Derek. You've been rather quiet on the blog for a while. Glad to see your thoughts emerging again. Hope all is well with you. Keep thinking and sharing your thoughts. :). It's refreshing.

Wow I must be really rich then! Doing everything little thing myself. I only have five customers a year but boy do they get personal service!! Ha.

Really excellent observation, similar types of "value-add" seen in the booming small-biz community in Brooklyn (and other cities), where people will pay a premium for goods made by real people, goods that are hand-tailored for YOUR specifications. Etsy is another great example of an alternative to the normal retail model, where "human intervention" connects artists and designers with people who love unique products. Love your writing!

Keeping the human in it is valuable from writing and playing to selling and beyond. I remember how impressed I was with you (Derek) answering emails or talking on the blogs and even today interacting with all of us. Priceless

So spot on!! It seems as if we live in a world that is systematically trying to eliminate human interaction. "Trying to minimize costs, instead of maximize income, quality, loyalty, happiness, connection, and all those other wonderful things that come from real human attention". Perhaps with the collapse of those big box stores (a la "you got mail"), there may be opportunity for smaller people/service business to thrive again. That being competitive advantage in an interaction starved world...

yeah!
I love your humanistic, simple and realistic approach to business. Thanks for sharing it,
a hug from Argentina

Derek,

Awesome post. I'll gladly pay more for real customer servicve. Most big companies just don't get it. Sadly many small ones don't either. They're too busy trying to look big.

I have an accountant with two people in his office that makes you go through a three step phone tree to talk with him. How lame. He's missing out on what makes him unique.

peace...

Derek, this is a welcome relief from the onslaught of algorithmic-derived music. One irony behind this recent trend of online music (yes, I admit to listening to sites like Slacker.com) is the re-birth of vinyl, non-digital listening, driven mainly by young people.

I run my families real estate investment business. It was started by my father 45 years ago and I've been involved for last 36 of those years. Aside from the fact that we keep all of our accounts confidential, we have always maintained the personal touch. Our entire idea is to keep our business small and very select. That is one reason that we have managed to stay in business for all of these years and our clients can always call and talk to someone who will answer their questions about their investment without going through a maze telephone garbage. We intend on keeping that "hands on" approach. Customer Service is an area that lacks in the business today and that is our strongest point.

Funny how common sense is, well, common sense. Which, of course, why you are able to provide us with these great musings, because if you did not use common sense Derek Sivers and CDBaby would have been like everybody else. It's one of those win win win situations. The industry needs your wisdom again.

Hope all is well!

A very similar discussion came up in a recent job interview I had with a tech company. At the time I felt kinda nervous emphasizing the "human touch" in light of the scalability concerns on the part of the company but this post has renewed my confidence. If the humanity of your customer retention plan keeps people coming back then why look for answers in robots?
Thanks Derek.

great article!

Right on!! You're one smart, insightful, and perceptive person, Derek !!

Ok Derek Sivers, check-out http://www.reverbnation.com/tommycarl where I listened..
Please continue to hold. Your call IS important to us. A representative will be with you soon.... — Derek

Bravo.

Of course, this "scalability" is starting to infect education, too.

First, instructors are now expected to teach 40 students, rather than 20, in studio art classes designed for 20. So our classes have been "scaled up," just as numbers of faculty (particularly full-time faculty) have been "scaled down." Students slip through the cracks as faculty don't have enough time to connect individually with our students.

Recently, the California legislature has voted to allow "massive open online courses" ("MOOCs") to count for degree credit, at state institutions.... After all, why have students interact with instructors and other students in person and in real time, when they can just sit in front of their own computers and type? [And how do we know if those students are doing all the work on the other end, really?]

While some courses might be "scalable," others take individual attention, connecting, and even hand-holding.

Now that was a cool topic!! Thanks Derek!

thought provoking article.thanks!

Interactions between men and machines are becoming the new rule of the world. We are kind of robotizing sensations. I wonder how we will look like in 10 or 15 years...
Life out of Balance
Life in transformation
Life as war.

As always Derek, you provide the best insight I've ever come across. I couldn't agree more with this message as I have seen first hand what stellar customer service can do for your business as opposed to any kind of automation. Right on!

I think people love it when a real human answers any company phone these days because it's just so rare. What a great blog Derek! I wonder where Pamela Rooney is now? I bet she can remember discovering some real gems back in the day.

Right on! In environmental terms we label that the "externalities" that standard accounting procedures cannot figure in—clean air, drinkable water, beautiful scenery. Same applies to customer service.

This is the reason I dislike flying one particular airline, because their website is such a tangled mess that it takes much longer to book a flight there.
Thanks for another thoughtful post, Derek.

Sometimes humans are stupid, and its better to automate the response for a better result. An example of this is NYC 311 service. In the beginning people were competent, and the phone call was a great way to deal with residential city issues (i.e. noise complaint) but the key is competent. If the person taking care of the customer is incompetent, an automated system might be better.

Lovely!

Derek,

This is brilliant! I am flattered to know that I was a CD Baby artist in 2004 and perhaps my album was reviewed so personally. This business model is tried and true. I still remember when I received my first email from CD Baby inviting me for $35. My reaction was "don't proceed with caution on this one...dive right in". You are so inspirational :)

I guess I got lucky here - I have always known that my business only fills a small niche and will never grow to FB status - so I never worried about automating everything.

Plus, I'm not technically-savvy enough to code everything.

Wow - double lucky! ;)

I went in thinking about how I like to be treated as a customer and decided to treat my customers like that.

And I have always loved the fact that it's pretty much just me, and so I CAN accommodate my customers personally, on a case-by-case basis.

Just in case it's not clear, count my vote on the side of "yes" for the personal touch. :)

You are correct my darling. A little bit of human interaction can shoot off a whole fourth of July's worth of brain sparks that will tell them you care.

I make artwork with limited ability to scale. It's all personal, it's all human. I love technology, but big business has found effective ways of shutting the customer out. Shutting down the human component. A friendly human voice answering the phone is expensive equipment now.

Beautiful! We've been hearing that anything a human can do science can do better for too long. And you were so sweet, just smiled and pointed at your ear. You coulda sold them anything!

Yes!
Others have given lips, teeth, and tongue
to "humanization", but few pursue it passionately.
My theory. They were imperfectly imprinted early in their lives.
When I first met our tall, gangly 60+ farm director at iconic WHO RADIO Des Moines, IA, I gave him a manly hug for his warm greeting.
He revealed there was no hugging in his family.
I asked if his Mom and Dad were still alive. He said only his 90 year old Dad. I recommended quietly so no one else would hear that he drop everything and go give his Dad a hug too, his first family hug ever. He did. It went well, very well.

In the few remaining years that followed in our relationship he would often tell this story to others only to see tears well-up in his eyes and the eyes of others. Derek, I suspect there was some hugging going on when you were growing up. I sure hope so. One of your many advocates, sQs Delray Beach.

Thanks, Derek. As my career/business grows and I add people to my team, I often pull a few of your posts for them to read. It really helps convey set the tone of how I'd like them to represent me out in the world.

So often, well-intentioned people get too "official" and "business-like" and lose that human touch. Thanks for providing these quick, easy reminders for all of us.

When you ask about some problem on a website, its kind of shockingly nice to get an original email from the founder of the company.

Another reason, besides fun, to talk to customers in person, is useful ENTROPY - you actually need to talk to people who have different experiences from you.. and feed that back into creative innovation.

I hope more businesses someday realize the best touch is real human beings or at least those that still have a heart.

Yeh this is more than correct. Human contact is what business relations are built on. So much of online is a disconnect and we accept being made into a number. The business should control the website not the other way around

I was just mulling this decision over myself "Do I send everyone to voicemail or just answer the phone myself?" I decided to route the toll free number straight to my cellphone.

Why? Because I hate voicemail and I couldn't do it to others when I hate it so much myself.

Nothing beats human connection.

=== Auto Reply === Auto Reply === Auto Reply ===

We received your email, but we are unavailable until next Thursday.

We appreciate your business!

Thank You.

(These are the worst)

The human touch is...priceless!

Your Listening Algorithem is fantastic.

Thanks Derek

Aloha Derek,

I always appreciate your writings. They reach me where I am...they are easy to understand, easy and comfortable to relate to and written in a way that connects with respect and kindness.

Thank you Derek. I appreciate all of your efforts to help those to whom to reach out to.

Mahalo,

John Tussey

I agree Derek. Its really a win-win, I think its a great value for your customers. Its a great value for your colleagues as well, that you are creating "human job".
Keep it up Derek and best of luck!
Amazing, thank you!

I totally agree, Derek, and I think that we will eventually return to using more of the human customer service agents. We're hardwired for it. On a like topic, I think there are times when it's just more efficient to ditch the computer and do things manually.
I really loved hearing your thoughts on how different the US is from the rest of the world and would love to hear more about it.

I totally agree.

I have an example for you: I found a software company that made a product that sounded like the right solution for my business. I called them on the phone. They were very nice and very knowledgeable about the software. I purchased it and it works great! (I'm still using it). A while later, the software company still had that phone number with the friendly knowledgeable voice when I called. I bought a second computer program from them. I paid premium prices for these programs, but I didn't mind because they really worked and there was great customer support.

Recently, I needed a third piece of software that was right up their alley. Now, the phone number is gone. No support at all. Not even support to see if the program will meet your needs before you buy. I downloaded the free version to check it out, but it didn't work... And no support. I didn't buy.

I don't expect this company to continue to grow the way they used to.

Best, Richard

I totally agree and hope we see more of the human component in the future. We're hardwired to talk to humans, not machines.

Hi, Derek
Love the article!
My vote is for the charming person to pick up on the first ring. Nothing puts your mind at ease like the warm voice of someone who cares. I would equate it with the feeling you receive when you're greeted at the door by folks who are genuinely happy to see you there. Nothing compares.
Thanks! It's good to remember what counts.

I love this article, Derek. It's so true, a human touch goes a long way in building relationships and consumer loyalty. In a sea of automated responses, the sole human response will stand out like a beacon in the dark.

I couldn't agree more! My company is spending a great deal of time & effort to "digitize work," & finding oh, so many points where "there isn't a system." Actually, there IS a system. -- it's people talking to each other, making a decision together, & then working accordingly. While I think there are some opportunities to streamline, I am rooting for the humans!

I couldn't agree more. What a great story!

Amen!

Another great point in this digital age we live in.

Here's another tip for growing your business. Hang out
with humans! Meet people, put the phone down
and actually build relationships!

Keep the news comin' Derek, we are listening

Blest,
SAul

Sick writing that's straight to the point! Loved it,

Hi Derek:

Brilliant as usual. The challenge is always blending the best of high tech (for speed, efficiency and error reduction) with high touch (for warmth, handling the odd case and providing that ineffable "human touch"). I have always wondered why many user entry pages (which sometimes ask for TOO MUCH INFO) could be re-designed in this way: 1) You enter your information, 2) Except for one or two key bits, like a functional e-mail address, the system only flags anything that appears to be odd or missing, 3) you have the option to change these or "send anyway", perhaps with a field that gives you a chance to explain the reason for the odd or missing data.

A human being would review these outliers and correct anything that is necessary - communicating directly with you if necessary. For example, I have sometimes had trouble with US-based websites because they don't allow the option for someone living overseas to enter an address or phone # that is not formatted tot the US (e.g., ###-###-####).

The feedback from this process would allow the website to refine its data entry format based on feedback on these disconnects. Currently, it is Procrusteanism run wild.

Kris
Yes! I was tempted to go on and list more examples like this, but cut it short. Thanks for including these. — Derek

This one makes me smile, Derek. There's something delightful about its simplicity and--rightness.

Love this.... I too, have listened to everything over the 22 years of running The New York Songwriters Circle. There is no comparison for actual listening and feeling the music. No computer will ever take the place of that! Thanks for sharing this Derek, you are such a continued good soul, good person...and an inspiration that THAT counts for something in this business. Tina Shafer Artistic Director

Humans. Contact. Commonsense. I've learned to make my job complicatedUGH! But at home my kids...force me to keep my life simple...do it if it works DON'T if it doesn't!

Derek,

I'm feeling the same way about many parts of the businesses I'm helping to scale. The competitive edge in an email marketing company is actually the 7 customer support reps who are brilliant at listening and solving problems. The manufacturer in MA I'm scaling is working hard at owning the installation of the material testing systems and software so the customer is operational and living the dream he bought. Algorithms don't work so well in those situations.

Best
Ian

This gave me an awesome idea for Twitmusic!

So true what you you just described. It is always good to have a human touch in the activities of daily life. The whole experience is totally different.

Derek - CDBaby is a long time ago. I know the experience of birthing and nurturing your company was loaded with lessons of every kind.
It isn't that your insights are any less valuable today, nor that I lack admiration for the time, energy and obvious love you put into expressing your helpful observations.
It's just that I wince a little every time I you reference CDBaby as the fount of your inspiration. You are a proven talent (at least to me) and I am quite willing, even eager to consume your musings at face value. In other words, I don't need your business card every time we meet. You had the contract at hello... Don't get me wrong though, I am and will continue to be a devoted reader! Thanks, Hoby
Oh I agree! Every time I think I'm all out of helpful CD Baby stories, I find there's just one more that needs telling. Maybe I'm finally all done with them, this time. — Derek

1000x agree, particularly in the digital space too many people confuse the website or the tech with being the business itself...so many people want a shortcut or magic bullet and think tech can provide that (eg the assumption no 1 in google=business success)

Technology for technology's sake is a stupid approach I regularly get laughed at in some of the cloud tech business workshops we host because I use a paper diary for my critical todos but the truth is its the fastest, most robust piece of tech I own with unlimited battery life :-)

Completely off topic, would love to know your thoughts on Spotify and its affect on indie artists or typical CD Baby artist both from a financial perspective and otherwise vs itunes world or traditional music publishing

This reminds me of when my dad, who is still trying to find the best business scheme even at the age of 70, would say in the 80's...'better get your college education. The robots are gonna take all the work away from the young people...' Hey daddio... You were right, but guess what... Weeeerrre baa-ack.

I've got my children's CD on your site.
Thanks for listening, for real!
I agree that we need more human intervention/interaction.

Regards,

Marsi

Aloha Derek,

You hit the nail on the head again!

I run a straight forward direct mail coupon business. When I explain to fellow entrepreneurs what I'm doing, they immediately want to add software to streamline "efficiency" or add-on services to "maximize" profits.

They forget the first thing is to get new clients! Everything else we can figure out as we go.

Mahalo,
Tom Gaddis
All-Around Good Guy

Accurate. Where I work they are always trying to find metrics to measure things. No human value or input involved. The one that amuses me the most is when they measure QUALITY as a smaller number of what they call "out of box failures." That is, they have already admitted that they are going to cut corners to get stuff out the door, functional or not. Their only hope is that a greater percentage of product will actually work when the customer receives it. I always like to ask, would out of box failures be a good metric if you were selling airplanes? No one ever answers me though, they just change the subject. Joe.

I think you hit the nail right on the head with this one Derek. This 'common sense' thinking applies to so many area's of business and life in general. Who wouldn't want to be treated with human kindness and integrity?

I agree. I called CD Baby twice in the last week and it was darn nice being able to talk to a person.
I have gone through hell with Youtube in years past and never could talk to a person. I had to write a letter. It was a terrible experience.
For me personally all this media such as Facebook and Twitter is too much. I recently deleted my Facebook account because most of it was a time waster. Just a handful of friends I was in contact with and it was all too impersonal so i told them just to lift up the telephone and call me or send me an email. If folks want to know where I am playing then they can go to my website and when they are on my mailing list I will send them a message. I am trying hard to simplify things because it's all too much for me. Maybe other folks can handle all this facebook, twitter stuff but I am going to live without it. A website, email and a telephone is all that I want. I also have youtube and people have sent me emails before wanting to talk with me and when I call them they are totally suprised. They love the human contact. It makes all the difference in the world.

It's like that in the music business. I see a lot of the hip-hop artists getting into trouble and that is because the drug dealers are the only ones who have the wealth to premarket a project or develop an artist up into the point where a major label would pick that artists up. We as the public will never know how many 2Pac's or Biggie's have been passed over because they were not drug dealers or aligned with drug dealers. So as a result some of these artists when they become famous doesn't change their core values which were street values in the first place. Some people think that you have to be from the street in order to be a great artist, and that's not true. There are rappers and musicians that go to Howard and are professionals that if given the chance could raise up through the ranks however they will never get the chance. Because if you look at it nowadays it probably takes at least $1 million to get airplay.
So as I am saying we have politicians(which are the direct representatives of the wealthy and elite) dictating and sending down economic policies to our most talented economist. We have politicians sending down energy policies to engineers.
It's almost like the show called survivors. The name of the show is survivors and you would think that the winner would be the person who has the most expertise on survival skills, however it turns out the person who has the most skills and being underhanded comes out on top.

I wholeheartedly agree. Einstein worried that "our technology would surpass our humanity".
Have you noticed that when groups, or even couples, go out the majority of the time they are on their phone and not engaging each other in conversation?
Human touch, genuine interest, and the greatest ability ever - to ask a question and then shut up and listen.

All and all, shock your customers with a real person on the other end of the line. Pleasant surprises happen and people, your clients/customers, remember that.

Well said Derek!

I agree 100%. In my field of marketing and business consulting, automating and outsourcing gets big thumbs up, but I still remain a one person gang, managing all my social media, blogs, groups and emails. I only write when I'm inspired so that I make sure most things have value. And people love it. Others try to mimic but they don't get the secret. It's really me and my personal touch. I'm very accessible and very hands-on giving people what they want. But I also drive up my price to make sure others value what I'm giving. But, yes, I love it and I agree with the competitive advantage of the human element.

That human contact is ever so important and we seem to be starving for it to some degree. I posted a moving sale ad this week on Craigslist.
I immediately got a text from some man's phone saying
"Barb, I noticed you will be moving soon. I can help you and at a very cheap price."
I asked him if he had references and he responded that I could check his website. He spoke with me via cellphone emails answering direct questions and sold me on hiring him to help me move. I wasn't even looking for help, but his warm and live (?) conversant approach worked! I felt as if someone considerate of the difficulties of moving was reaching out and it made my day go better.

Derek, we like your approach and have found the same thing in our business -- not that it could be automated much -- that the personal touch makes a big difference to the prospects and the customers. It seems to hold true in the corporate world as well as the small business world.

Smart, that's why you 're where You are.
:)

Derek, you're timing was right with this article. The past few days I've been trying to deal with youtube's automatic song recognition and my youtube videos. They sent me a message saying my video was pirated from someone else's music. The video is me playing solo classical guitar in my back yard with no edits, a Bach cello prelude I transcribed. I wrote to them and they removed the pirating accusation but the will not allow me to monetize the video because they cannot be sure its in public domain and that I own the rights to the video and music. I'd say music composed in 1725 is certainly in the public domain. What's needed here is that human touch you wrote about. But one cannot even write to youtube, or google who owns youtube, about this problem. Their lack of human touch seems complete and permanent. CDbaby still seems to have the human touch as they respond to complex questions by phone or email consistantly. It's a vibe you infused into that business and let's hope it stands the est of time.

Right on! A friend who is a journalist once wrote an op ed piece about automated phone systems. After describing in excruciating detail a typical automated runaround his punch line was "I don't WANT more options! I want to TALK to somebody!"

Very true! Looking back I find it was the "human touch" that provided the most decisive breaks for my business

Kartik Isvarmurti
VMG BPO
Virtual Assistant Services

Loved it...!! Been reading all the amazing things You did at CDBaby in terms of customer service by just being Yourself, being Human.
Here you've nailed through the article by putting the philosophy out explicitly!

as always derek...u the man! i couldn't of said anything u said better...i go 2 armstrongs nursery instead of home depot...even though home depot is cheaper... why? customer service...they know their s#@! and it's worth it to me...and i'll call them from home and ask them gardening questions...and they know the answers...and r nice enough to spend time giving them to u...i'm a loyal customer for life...the extra money is worth it to me...and i'm a bargin hunter and comparison shopper ...i'm always saying (2 anyone who'll listen :) customer service is a lost art...and just imagine...if everyone u came into contact with on ur daily rounds took pride in their work and gave excellent customer service...how much better would that make ur day?...ur world experience...the world...u r a gift from god my friend...keep on keepin on ;~)

Awesome article, Derek, just like you. Thanks for sharing your inspirational reflections. My only regret in regards to CD Baby is not getting my account open sooner!

Right as usual. And let me echo those who said "well-timed"!

In my limited experience, the especially interesting (read: difficult) part is that there's a lot of stuff that really needs to be automated, so you get into that mindset for the first 80% of the stuff, and that can be really useful (e.g. registration and payment). But for that last 20% that should be done by hand, you're already in such a mindset of automating that you don't switch gears like you should. D'oh.

In my latest business, we put a lot of thought into which potential clients we should court, and which we should turn away because they weren't a great fit (see sive.rs/hellyeah). But once that more or less kinda sorta right, we should have stopped tinkering and just _talk to everyone we weren't sure about_. Instead we kept trying to tweak the decision process. Over time we started to realize what this post crystallized: you can't automate 100% of the stuff, especially when stuff is people.

Thanks as ever for the key idea, Derek, and thanks to the follow-up posters who gave other examples that helped make this idea even more clear for me.

Another excellent post Derek. Thank you!

Derek, you have been a shining example for a long time that it is possible to maintain alignment between people and profits. You created and ran a values-driven organization, stayed true to it, and you sound the same now as you did when you were running CDBaby. Everything you say above is right on. My observation is that when an organization gets big enough that its money starts making money for the people who run it, the values embedded in what you wrote begin to decay. And at that point, the customer learns to expect less. Unless they don't and go elsewhere. Then HR is assigned to "renew the culture." You have a lot to teach those entrepreneurs about how to create that balance, and how not to lose it when the going gets good.

Agreed. Why does personal wealth continue its troubling decline for so many people?

It's the greed-driven urge to squeeze human interaction out of transactions, to squeeze "costs" as near zero as possible, and to offshore anything or anyone that can't be "scaled."

It's so shortsighted, on so many levels. Eventually the well runs dry in this race to oblivion.

Derek, your experience, wisdom, and timeliness are very much appreciated. I am in the process of building a business foundation and find this article most useful. Human interaction at harmonized efficiency with focus on mission and quality product and customer satisfaction is a wonderful thing to experience in business. Pamela Rooney was a blessing to you and cdBaby; she had, not only a cool job, but a contribution of ability and enthusiasm to listen and carry on your quality recommendations. This article opens my eyes to the importance of the human for the job above the resume and job history of people I might hire.
Thank you.

I agree wholeheartedly Derek. Technology can be a good thing, but if will never replace the value of the personalizati0n of the human touch. When I was going to school in the mid-to-late 1990's shortly after the introduction of the Internet, one of the most brilliant of all the classes that I took to get my A.A.S in Business Administration, was a mini-mester of a course in customer service. It was a nine week class and definitely extremely valuable. In the midst of that class one of the things that the professor stressed was similar to the very subject that you're addressing here. An example that was highlighted back then, even at the earliest advent of the Internet, was that people still appreciated receiving a thank you card in the mail or personally delivered, in comparison to an email over the Internet! So I can definitely see your point Derek. Keep up the great work sir!
Sincerely, Grateful Ed aka MrNDVERSE (Retired):-0~

P. S. If you're still planning on progressing with Muckwork Derek, after much time to do some deep contemplation about it, I believe that I'd be very interested in talking to you about becoming part of that team! I've always been a lover of the arts, and specifically a love of the underdog, aka indie artists trying to make it in this world... so let me know if and when there's a potential opportunity for me to become involved with that business!

We are a service oriented society so why not have great people giving great service? It's really nice to hear a person on the other end of the line, and to know that a real person got a job! Machines can't replace the personal touch.

Yes! I just personally emailed 300 new subscribers on my list. A friend asked me why didn't I just automate it via AWeber and I said, "Because I wanted to personally connect with them." That's the point of it all--to connect, help and inspire. It's why we love apps that allow us to keep track of our friends. We want human connection. Sometimes we need to scale back the technology and reach out to make a stronger impact.

Thanks for writing this.

Beautiful.

The bits from your book that stuck with me most were those about how you made your business personal and cool/fun.

I love it when I can connect to a store or company on that level. When I can feel that their first priority isn't profit margins (or at the very least, it's tied for first place), it's about them having fun, and about the customers getting real value and attention.

A point well made.

I see automation and systems as essential for any business but not at the cost of a low quality user experience!

The one area I hate automation is customer service! If I've gone past the FAQ page I do want a human response.

Brilliant :) I can picture the look on their faces when you told them you listen to everything yourself ;) People are more than digits on a balance sheet...

Thanks for new article.

Best Regards
Jan

Spot on!
I've been struggling with myspace's lack of customer service for years now. My problem is I can't access my account, since I ended my email address that used to be the login for myspace. So it happened of course, that I lost my password for that too.. I know, my stupidity.

Guess what: I have emailed them a zillion times and to all customer services that even remotely have something to do with Myspace. I even filed an "abuse" report where I explained my problem. Nobody has ever answered any of my emails.

Today I'm a happy customer of hostbaby, and value high it's usually 2 hour email response time in customer service. If i ever gain my access back to Myspace, I'll end it right away.

Have a great weekend!

Janne

I loved that Derek! I like the way you think. You remind me of me! I think the personal touch is so important and now a days people don't return calls, lots of texting, texting. Where's the connection in texting? I want to get real, have some real communication. Thanks for you being you. I like what you are doing!!!!

I always look forward to your emails Derek, awesome post again! You never cease to amaze me.

Warmest regards.

Hi Derek, This is a sore point with me.

At some point a company has to ask, how much profit is enough? The mindset of "Let's automate everything and cut the workforce to raise profits" is too common and shortsighted.
Automation does have it's place and should be used to do the monotonous repetitive work that has little or no human contact.

If you do automate, and it does reduce the need for personnel, instead of cutting jobs, shift workers to sales or answering the phones. Get rid of the "press one for English" phone tree b.s. Even worse is having a computer call your phone to remind you of your appointment. Jeez, you have my email, couldn't you email me the reminder instead?

Or instead of trying to impress me by paying someone to run your company blog and changing the content hourly, and spamming me endlessly, really impress my by having a human answer the dang phone!

Instead of making me scan my own items at Home Depot or a grocery store, bring back the checkout people. If there's not enough for them to do, have them roam the store restocking or helping answer customer questions - God knows you can never find an employee at these places when you need one. There's a reason Ace Hardware does so well - customer service!

It is rare these days to call a company and have the call answered by a human. When it does happen, I do business with that company, as it demonstrates that it is a company that values its customers. If I have a choice between two companies to do business with, and one uses a robot to answer the phone (or phone tree) guess which company I go with, even if their prices are slightly higher.

By forcing people to listen to "all the options because the menu has changed" is kind of like raping their ears - it shows no respect for the customers or their time. And it usually means headaches and long waits for solutions that a human could answer in seconds.

The trend I am seeing that is picking up speed and worries me is that stores are no longer stocking items unless they are "top sellers". Items you could once buy in store are no longer there, you have to order them online. When a fat, lazy consumer like myself wants a product, I don't want to have to order it online and wait a week, I want it in store and in my cart toot-suite. Do you hear me Sears, Target and other stores who sell air purifiers, yet no longer sell the air and water filters or vacuum cleaner bags??? I now have to spend more to have to purchase it online than I would if the store carried it. Raise the price in the store to just under what I would have to pay to buy it online, then at least you'll get the customers.

Smart businesses will see the real competitive benefits of hiring people to answer their phones and at the checkouts, as it will draw clients away from their competitors.

Machines can't communicate what a customer is experiencing. Maybe if big business in this country would start questioning what their "squeeze every last penny out of the company" mba advisers are saying, and started listening to what their customers needs are, then maybe they wouldn't need the bailouts and to cut jobs.

Anyway, Derek, keep the good vibes coming.
Wow! Great examples. Thanks Chris! — Derek

Excellent. Thank you Derek.

It's a very good point I personally tend to fall I. The whole this can't be scaled it needs to be automated. And also I couldn't agree any more people love human interaction even if its just answering the phone or getting a quick call to confirm something.

I'll think of you next time I'm telling myself this can't be scaled.

Hi Derek

Great post, its often forgotten that we are making products for Humans not Robots - In the great rush to provide an exit for vc's or share holder value this is often overlooked.
People yearn for human interaction and hand crafted products made with the human touch -which is why we are seeing a renaissance in artisan type crafts.
I believe this has something to do with Apples success - a closed system with 'messy' code hid away, an intuitive and clean gui combined with a craftman's touch to design.All very human - 'artisanal electronics' if you like!

Thanks for the great insights. I will remember this when I'm setting up my online forms and submission process for festivals and shows.

Great point (as always) Derek. Of course this trend (to think automate and scale first) is not limited to online businesses handling customers - its also what's happening inside some big companies with employees too. And as the leaders create organisations where people sit and stare at screens all day, only communicating electronically because its 'efficient', they will eventually realise that staring at a fixed point in space doing the same thing over and over is a really effective way of hypnotising people, so they stop thinking for themselves.

The trouble with only standardising and automating is it makes you rubbish at being agile and responsive. You need automation to do the stuff that doesn't need personal attention, but that should free up space to do the personal, creative stuff.

Bam! you made my day.

Some real good food for thought there Derek. Thanks for sharing this - I think you're right!

Very interesting. I think you need to compensate for human intervention with basic human need solutions, like in the case of Facebook you have the most human interests covered like stories from your friends, to see what other people are doing and all other social proof/interaction/approval etc. If you don't have a massive scalable, technical solution you need to have human interaction. I also like it that you focus on end-user experience because sometimes human intervention doesn't make sense and in some cases the end-user experience can be a lot higher with human intervention..

100% agreed .nothing can replace human relation and connection no matter how advanced and automated any enterprise gonna be using new technologies .

Yes - well put and great story.

I first got in touch with you as a customer of CDbaby. I haven't bought anything for a while, but I promise to be back. Anyway, regarding your text... I agree so much! Let's bring humans back to our life! Let's do things a little bit more slowly! Let's earn less money and let's enjoy more and better time with family and friends.

The key is the 'when' of the software , not the 'what'. A human brain makes thousands of little choices which affect quality but are not quantifiable until a certain amount of human experience has weeded out choices that a computer is not intuitive enough to recognize. For example , let's say your listener found that folk music from southern Ukraine consistently sold better than folk music from the northern Ukraine, even if the quality was not distinguishable, even to her sophisticated ear. The software might conclude that music from a certain postal code was going to fare better than another, but the listener could identify that the use of mandolins always appeared in the southern Ukraine arrangements but was never used in the north. This is a kind of distinction that would not likely be noticed by software, but would be quite apparent to human judgment. Later software could include the information that mandolin music from a certain postal code would tend to do better than similar music from nearby, but only because the human interpretation of the information had been acquired first.
Great point. I agree. — Derek

You are absolutely correct Derek. I hate those phone answering system. I just want to interact with a human being when I make a call. The problem with so many businesses is exactly as you said, they are more concerned about making money than caring about the customer. When I find a company that really cares about me I stick with them. Take care Derek, G...

I couldn't agree more, Derek.

That business of automatic call reception instead of a real person makes me mad as hell. When large banks, for example, which make billions per year, can't be bothered to hire a real secretary to answer the 'phone, I think that says a lot about how much they really care for the customer.

(The downside, of course, is that not every human secretary is charming, but you can't have everything.)

All this centralization and automation is very tiresome. When the dust has settles, I just hope that people have the sense to go back to 'small is beautiful.'

Precisely Derek.

That's why when I first became a Web marketing strategist in 2006 and launched the first Web site for my wife, we chose NOT to have a shopping cart. Not even an 800 number. I specifically wanted people to talk to Judy because I knew she could win them over and start long term relationships.

Michael Yublosky

Would have paid 1 million to see the faces of the Sylicons when you said "I listen and then recommend" ¡¡

Nice to hear, even in this "digital" times, that the human touch can not be simply taken away for things that definitely involve human beings and feelings. And that´s exactly what music is, uh? A human being listening and being transported by the feeling of music...

Thanks for your insights, and regards from Madrid.

Hi Derek,

Great article. Thanks!

In the words of Bruce Springsteen:
"I just want someone to talk to;
And a little of that human touch;
Just a little of that human touch;"

Best Regards,
Ziv.

Definitely correct. People (somehow) have forgotten how important and valuable people can be! It'd be nice to see more businesses taking these kinds of things into consideration.

Love it! Just shared it on Facebook, as I think a lot of people I know would be interested, not just the independent musos. One of the joys of the way things are now is that we can hear interesting stuff from all over the world, be influenced by it without even thinking about it - and make music with people from all over the world. I'm on a little island here in the UK, but I've worked on stuff with people from Norway, Germany and California. It's very hard to keep it all in nice tidy genre boxes, and why should we? So how do you pass on stuff - you use open ears and good old human judgement.

In the wider sense, it is much nicer to deal with a real person - and if they do a good job of explaining and sorting out things for you, say thank you and give their company that feedback too.

Brilliant Derek!! Every time I have to deal with automation phone systems I get a little less zen with it all, definitely a lot of companies need to rethink their attitude and you've nailed it here!! Thank you for remaining human!!

That is exactly what I did in my last company Derek. Chucked out the automated phone system and replaced it with a person. Our customers loved it and still do. Brilliant message to spread.

Derek:

You're so right about this. How you ran CD Baby makes that clear, which is why your story is so important (and your book is an essential read).

As a consumer, I'm so aware that how I'm treated makes all the difference in whether I continue on with a particular merchant or service provider.

One thing that jumped out at me is what you wrote about online forms. There have been times when I've tried to go through the process of buying something online, and one step or another is so impossible that I abort my efforts (and the sale is lost).

It happened not long ago with J. Crew (almost). But right there on the form it said something like, "Having trouble? Call us." So I did, and a very nice person answered on the first ring, and she was super apologetic, and she made things right AND waived the shipping for what I was ordering.

So the sale was saved (as was my loyalty). In other words, you're right about all of this.

Thanks (as always) for sharing.

Susan

If only every businessperson had your common sense and strength of character, maybe one day

This is where CLARITY comes in for the business owner. When I work with start-ups or businesses that want to expand, I ask them to focus on getting the FIRST customer and making that experience extraordinary. Build from there. You offered clarity in this message. Thanks.

I used to take my son to a brilliant little shop near Mornington Crescent where he could exchange his Playstation Games and I loved it there because even though he was tiny the salemen always spent time explaining different games to him which they had played themselves and so knew how to answer the questions of an 8 year old. Whether we bought anything or not they were enthusiastic and helpful and knew their stock inside out. One time we went in and they were all sad because the shop was closing down because the owners said it wasn't making enough money. The customers were all grieving and when I asked where else we could go, if the store knew anything about the other local game shops and one chain in particular, one customer said, "that store! They haven't got a frickin' clue!" When the Mornington Crescent store closed and we visited the much bigger, brighter competitive store where all the salestaff were in uniform, none of them knew anything about any of the children's games, only whether or not they were in stock (sometimes they didn't know that either). When my son asked for their opinion between games, they couldn't answer; when he asked if the game was value for money, they just shrugged. 'Who helps the little people?' I wondered. No one in THAT particular store. We miss our cramped store with the assistant with pink hair.

It is obsession with scale that perverts art and dulls the experience of life. Curation beats quantity of choice any day. Love the way this story is told! Inspiring again!
T

Excellent commonsense observations - thanks for sharing. It's a challenge to NOT get too caught up in thinking that tech will reliably do everything for us... also setting up and administering that tech sometimes takes as long, if not longer, than actually doing the everything AND - the world (ie: the people in it) wants/needs stuff to be done on/in a human scale....we're still seeking a human reaction to our endeavors.

So - phone calls, a note in the mail, a visit, time spent thinking about what your target (human) might actually want/prefer are often a much more productive avenue to take... like getting a superb guitar sound in the studio BEFORE you commit it to tape, instead of throwing something into the computer and taking endless time to 'fix it in the mix' (which is rarely possible) which is a bit like the 'wallpaper' method of FB, Twitter, MySp etc.,

Actually Derek, your' real-person-to-answer-the-phone' principle is by far the best one to roll out across your whole working spectrum.

All of us seem to be forgetting that Social Networking is simply the newest method of "Hey, how're you doing" over the phone - BUT, you don't actually get to hear the response (not any more, due to the stadium-effect of 'connection overload') so perhaps the old adage of "Everything Old is New Again"... will prove to have legs.

For all his plus/minus methods... did David Geffen get to where he is by JUST tapping on a computer keyboard - nope! Did Derek Sivers.... it would appear not!

As they say "common sense is not so common" - anther insightful message - thanks Derek.

I've had a similar experience with my blog. Several people have asked what software I use to add the "related posts" links at the bottom of most posts. No software. Just added manually.

Wow. I love this post. Another parallel point is that the less 'touch' you have within your business, the more removed from its practice and communication surrounding its practice you become. Computers can do amazing things, but they cannot improve your skills if they are replacing them.

Can you do what "you" do?

Cheers.

Excellent point! It's important to keep in mind that User Experience depends on user expectations, which are often different from one community (tribe) to another. It has been suggested that, in choosing whether to use a bank teller or a bank ATM, the Spanish will stand in line to interact with a human, the Swiss will stand in line to avoid human interaction, and the French will cut in line to annoy the other people in line.

So a key driver is "what experience does MY audience desire?"

Hi Derek,

As usual, hit it on the head! I've noticed in my own business that I was getting email-itis. Shying away from face-to-face meetings and just dashing off emails here and there. I thought I was being more efficient but its only when I started to focus again on face to face meetings did things begin to happen again more quickly. Even skype is better than nothing. Human intervention is human capital. Full stop.

Derek,
You are 100% on target. Unfortunately, the objective much of the time, is to eliminate as many humans from the equation as possible. It is believed that by being relieved of their salaries and medical benefits the company will achieve higher profits. It works on paper but not in real life. The examples you gave are perfect. I spent the last 15 years as a programmer/analyst for a publically owned global company. We recently changed over to a popular ERP system which obsoleted every program I wrote in those 15 years. To purchase something from our website a user now has to remember an assigned 8 character (numeric) user id and password. If he types the password incorrectly three times he is locked out. He must then request another password which is sent to him automatically that contains case sensitive characters. If he doesn't know they are case sensitive then he's locked out again. Many of our customers are pissed. We went from about 450 employees when I first started to about 50 thanks to these technological "innovations." I could go on and on. Anyway, thanks for the great article.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. It is a delicate balance, but human intervention gets the best results.

Derek, I totally agree. The human touch is invaluable. I work for a major corporation doing projects for client companies and we used to regularly travel to the client site for the project kickoff. I felt the opportunity to meet the people I would be working with over the course of the project, usually a 3-4 month timeframe, gave me a better chance to know the people and connect with them in a way that a conference call never can. I still maintain contact with some of the folks I met, even though the project has been completed for several years now. Never underestimate the power of the human connection!!!

Right on. Too many companies have very little human contact. They're more interested in "bean counting" than their customers' needs.

This was an awesome post! As an IT person as well as artist and producer this was an eye opener! Thanks Derek!

Yep...this has been apparent for a while.

thanks, that feels about
right: putting a nice
facade in front
of yourself
does't
eliminate
the fact that
you as a person
stand there, behind;
how much i love real life!

i love to see you,
in real life,
s

The human connection is everything for me. I actually love talking to people from all over the world when I need a gasket for the dishwasher. I know that all though most thing can be replaced by tech (the latest find a stuffed animal with a heartbeat like the womb for newborns) but when we actually connect person to person we benefit. We remember we are "like", we step in and become part of the ocean of raindrops. The non automated email from a person with a first and last name.

I loved sending chocolate with my box of CDs when it was time to restock. For me the lovely by product is "good business" the core is a good life.

Then there's me. Doing all the human touches for a vocal band that has a hard time getting over $60,000 a year. I just dont know when and where to hire to get the most out of it. I think many of us really wonder WHAT the next step is. I want to be a good steward of the money that comes in.

Amen, Derek! I recently assumed management of a small "S" corporation, and had to quickly learn corporate accounting and tax preparation. Recently I've spent hours on the phone: navigating menus, guessing options, rerouting, and eventually seizing the voice of a real person. I laughed out loud when I read your article on the value of getting an AHB (actual human being) on the first ring - so true (and so rare)! Granted, the scale of tax-related questions is so huge that screening and routing makes sense. But be forewarned, all ye who go there in March.

To their credit, the on-hold music of the Federal IRS is far superior to that of Indiana's Dept. of Revenue. To a musician, these things are important, eh?!

Hats off and best regards, TDL.

Today you made me feel good, Derek. You have articulated what I have been saying for years. Can I share this on my blog? Much appreciated. Regards to the family.

~ Gino

Great advice to not just business upstarts but to the corporate giants as well. In additional to being a musician, I have a full-time job with a social service agency. And though we are supposed to be customer service oriented, the shift seems to be in the direction of letting technology do the job for us. In the long run, we actually have more work because we are dealing with disgruntled clients who aren't satisfied with getting the runaround of "listen to all choices first", then "press 5 for..." only to be later disconnected without having their problem resolved. It's much quicker to talk to a representative immediately. I find this true in my personal life as well. On a musical performance note, I build more of a dedicated fan base when I talk to old and new fans after each show than if I just make an announcement to sign the mailing list or check out the website. Plus, for me, one of the fringe benefits of performing is talking to and getting to know people who may also happen to enjoy my music. Long live the personal touch!

Love it! I don't want to be treated like a number, do you? At Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater, our 501c3 non-profit ("your cozy home for the performing arts") in Snohomish, WA we see artists and patrons come alive and glow when they receive genuine, heart-felt service and care. To warmly welcome everyone who walks in the door and treat each individual the way we want to be treated is absolutely essential to the success of our organization. Thank you for another thoughtful story.

Its like the conversation I had with my music mentor, Charlie Daniels. He told me that when solid state amps became all the rave, he kept his tube amps because there was a warmth in them that could never be attained by technology. Eventially solid state was pushed aside for sweet sound of the tube. Human interaction can never be replaced - ever!
Derek - this is a cool story, I thought that your suggested music was automated as well.

Humanity is valuable ... life is precious ... People seem to forget this little fact when it comes to profit !!!
Right on Derek...

Love it Derek! Again you hit the nail on the head. I read an article once that described all the millions of people in this world with the head down looking at the next best technology....but with your heads down you can't see what's in front of you! The human touch is paramount to the success of a human being. Thanks for this one!!

This article is completely right on! I have found that people are so surprised when they call my number and actually get me. And it is delightful for me to talk with the people who buy my music. Their lives are fascinating. Keep up these great articles and the work you do in the world. Powerful stuff!

I learned from your book that picking up the phone on the first ring is the most important first impression I can make with my clients. Human interaction is a must in order to stand out from the 'rest of the pack'. Thx for posting this blog. :)

Liked that, Derek. I look forward to the time when you are finally elected King of the World. I tell you, the world would be a much better place with you in change than the bunch of balloons that we have at the moment.

All the best mucker.

That's great Derek! Nice when it's about people...:-) Best thing in life.
Rachel

As a developer, this is definitely a trap I fall into quite often. Great post!

Just love to add your stuff to my stuff...makes my stuff better.

Just love to add your stuff to my stuff...makes my stuff better.

I think it is very interesting that your old school advice is so refreshing in our over technical current society. I have a real aversion to talking with an automated voice.
Thanks again,

I like the message of "don't forget the human touch."

Hi Derek,

Thank you so much for this amazing story.

Its so true, I run a online shop and i find it so hard to get my employees to make personal contact with customers. They just want them to buy on their own and or just send them emails. I believe strongly in one on one communication and adding a personal touch.

All the Best!
Wez @ Digital Therapy

Ex-freaking-actly.

People are always surprised when they call our NFP Music and Arts Company and I answer the phone with "hello." The usual response is uh sorry is the the right number for XYZ event or scholarship application? And they usually end up very happy that they got to speak with a real person. I think it has helped keep our company connected and in touch with the community.
Because we interact with each scholarship applicant or event participant personally, most everyone is more comfortable and willing to get involved.

Good thoughts that we forget about sometimes. People like to deal with people. And why would they not?

This resonates with things from BJ Fogg's site. Especially the make it easier for the people to do what you want theme.
Best

I just love every post you do, very smart info, thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Derek-
Amen to that! I am so impressed when I get a live (U.S. based ) operator now, it makes the company stand out from the rest!

I have been on endless loops before filling out an online form, where it keeps rejecting and highlighting my answers in RED and you're right, sometimes it's just because I put in a dash between numbers or a comma--- If the tech geeks can be so smart, make them intuitive to adapt to the different ways people input a number etc....

Nothing like the personal touch-

Our children are always worth talking about, sometimes more so after they grow up and leave home.

That's reassuring. We compete against some apps that are "free," while charging a premium. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who believes in investing in customer service and the human touch, and that I may not be as old fashioned as that sounds.

The bar has been set so low now, that it doesn't take much to shine. Most people we touch are astounded to get a prompt email reply, let alone a human being on the phone.

Derek, couldn't agree with you more! For example -- when deciding on a medical alert system for my ailing parents, did a whole lot of phone calling. Went with the company than answered no later than the second ring with a genuinely-pleasant person answering, and everyone I talked to liked working at that company -- "customer service, customer service, customer service" and it ain't an automated phone tree or more "cool" tech. I love my Mac and all that -- but a human touch will sell me. I refuse those buy-tickets-online services because of the frustration of automation. If you as a company don't care enough about ME to let me work with a HUMAN, I don't care to give you my hard-earned cash.
And I TOTALLY would have loved that job listening to all the albums -- have you ever read Norretrander's The User Illusion? If not, you should give it a read -- the "gut" has it all over any algorithm.
Cheers.

Derek
Nice and Concise !!!
Thanks for Being

Hi Derek,

I don't agree with this in the long run.
I dream to live in a world where business and profit is a thing of the past. Where humans don't have to do mindless repetitive tasks and don't have to work in order to survive thanks to automation and technology.
A world where people are free from all this and may spend their time in creative activities.
Either way, nice story.

Cheers
Hugo

Derek you are so cool!! :)

Hey Derek, you have absolutely nailed this! I can't even come up with a word that can describe the disdain I have for calling these corporate juggernauts and talking to a machine and getting angrier and angrier desperately trying to talk to a friendly KNOWLEGABLE human being. Every one out of 300 calls results in a real person who is friendly and helpful and guess what, I will use / recommend that company relentlessly as I believe we need more of that in todays society because we are getting too far out of a balance with real people vs tech and algorithms. Anyway, always enjoy your articles and I hope you are doing great!

funny, Ive been asking those questions recently. we are a hand made chocolate company, but I don't hear people say," Wow that's great hand made chocolate they just like the chocolate. But as I write that very line I see they like the chocolate for its fragile quality that can only come from hand not a chocolate that's sturdy enough to manage mechanization.
A customer said after a bite of our chocolate, " i have faith again in good chocolate."
Thanks Mr Sivers for validating your human interaction peice.

Right on Derek.

OMG just what i have been preaching for years. The personalized approach is always the best approach. I love you Derek Sivers. :)

Derek, you are truly a presence in our time. I open your articles when they arrive, and when I get a chance, simply because YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, I peruse them and invariably come away with a new insight, a new bit of wisdom. Thanks much, my brother!

Listening to others is the key!

I agree with you on keeping site simple and user friendly. I, as a "consumer" feel like i have a better buy-in for people who actually want my opinion. At the same time... i really like and have been exposed to many musicians by the suggestions of "if you like this, you may like this one ,too" suggestions on Noisetrade and Pandora.

Will I pay for use of a site that actually offers me personal service? the answer is a simple..."Yes." (DAH....)

bye for now,
Marla

This is exactly why SongNet exists. We provide an opportunity for the community to meet the industry face to face!

A good point to bring up again, Derek, thank you!

Human touch, definitely. Hahaha, I will never forget that a Hostbaby guy even called me once on my mobile phone in Sweden, just to make sure that everything was fine with my website after they have corrected something.

From another aspect of this topic, I am exactly at a stage when as a self-managing solo artist, trying to treat my fans as friends, as humanly, politely and kindly as possible, and I keep hearing the advice from all the music biz articles that you need to respond to every comment, you need to be a human, you need to be reachable, etcetera - but it's already getting way too overwhelming for me and often I feel I can't keep up with the amount of it.

I must admit that it happens sometimes that I don't even sit down to deal with fan communications, because I know that if I got started, I would end up with catching up with fans and answering to them for ten hours and I still weren't finished for the day.

So I guess very soon I will need to find some automated solutions to certain tasks, beyond a standard Thank you! message for my new email subscribers, or give them to outsourcing.

How do you know if the time has come when you can afford (I don't mean it financially) to have someone else handle your fan communications or at least, part of it? Because those fans write to YOU and not to your secretary or something...

And how do you do the transition, how do you give your fans to someone else and say: Here they are, be nice to them as if they'd talk to me?

Any suggestions to this?
I think fan communications can use different rules than a business. It's understood and OK if you email a successful artist, who you're a fan of, and they don't reply. It'd be great if they did, but understood if they don't. No love lost. That said, you can also just plow through them and say, "Thank you!" to each, and maybe do 100 in 5 minutes. — Derek

I love it! That's the way to go!
Luvya! Meg

Brilliant. Totally agree.

The Human algorithm. Perfect! It's no wonder so many people were frustrated by Pandora's "recommendations," Including myself. Way off. Way frustrating. Your CD baby is a legacy whose meaning is immensly more than just about selling CDs. And your stories prove that. When are we going to get CD baby, the book, by Derek Sivers?! Would love to have such a book, and I know many others would too! :)

Interesting times, I was just placing tracks for our latest film and was turned on to a major licensing website that allowed me to drag in my Rolling Stones mp3 into their algorithm engine and it would find a comparable (and less expensive) sound alike in seconds. It actually worked great, but they also have humans that are ready and willing to do the matches themselves.

I do have to admit, the robot did a great job matching the tone, genre, emotion and BPM. Crazy.

Derek, I observe competition around me to realise that there will always be someone else doing what you are doing. If you are the first then you are probably validating the market for others to follow. I have tried to avoid competing on price by focusing on service but because of price being such a determining factor I've had to align myself with market expectations, which sucks. Service is our strength but if others copy our strength too, how do you think I can differentiate ourselves?

In my opinion every point made here is true. Your articles are much appreciated, Derek.

Yes! Human contact and time to listen.That´s it !!!

Okay, you said you wanted to hear my thoughts....well, maybe you didn't mean just me, exactly...but I would be inclined to respond anyway, first of all, by sayimng...are you sure you really want to hear my thoughts?

I keep getting similar 'stuff' from others about which magical piece of software, which preferreed technical gadget, which this, which that, I use in productions...primarily in the hope of receiving 'reccomendations' that would basically say "ah, if you use this or that, then you're going to have a surefire guaranteed runaway hit on your hands". Don't know why these folk consider me to be an expert. I had brief success only once, with one album, but, in regartds to that, no alghorhythms were involved...and no mgic wand tyo wave around.

A side issue...if what you are doing doesn't make it big time, that should not be considered lack of success anyway. s far as I'm concerned, and have always been concerned, putting something out period, completing a project, and being satisfied with the end result...that is successs. Sometimes, egad, it's even good to say "no" to what may appear to be a successful way to go, especially if you take into consideratyion the fact that there may be a price to pay that you neither expected or would ever want. Nothing better, for instance, than walking away from a crooked wanna be manager promoter whom you knowq you will never ever be able to trust, if he gets his hooks into you, parting with him, even if it means having to say "no" to all the other networks he has wormed his way into. Better to reestablish those on your own later than to end up in a miserable situation later...particularly since human interaction is definitely of great importance in this profession...fort which no alghorhythmic technique is going to be as effective, sorry to say, as doing it the hard way...coming to grips with that fact that, even as we progeress technologically, people are inevitably going to want to deal with people, not with machines and/or alghorhythms.

Far too many websites, I am sorry to say, put their trust in alghorhythms, but the truth is that more and more of us who use those sites...dare I say it...in spite of...are starting to say, if we haven't been saying it already "Doesn't matter if you send us automated messages that address us by name...doesn't really make any of us feel we are dealing with a real person...a person who actually does give a hoot about any of us". In short...the idiots...yes, dare I say it...idiots who think they can fool us ought to understand that, hey, most of us are not incapable of determining what in heck is going on here...and, truth is...you can't establish anything with any of us that we would consider "up close and personal", unless you actually do take the time to, well, get up close and personal...and that, by the way, is something that we, who call ourselves artists, have to understand as well. You cannot establish a rapport with your audience via an alghorhythm. It thus ought to be clear to everyone that Facebook, Myspace, Soudndclick, Whotune, Reverbnation, Soundcloud...none of these will do much of anything for you, if you are sitting there expecting that success will come to you as a result of, say, using one of those bots to generate thousands upon thousands of friends.

I know of one band, right here, in my own neck of the woods, who used a bot system to generate an unbelievable number of friends on Myspace...thousands more than I have...and yet, they are very sad...cos haven't sold one single album. Another local band, very good...the Guitaritst once palated with John Lreee Hooker. That is his claim to fame...and he and wife did an excellent latin flavoured blues album...smug and confident that, once they got it up on Soundcloud, they'd be selling like hotcakes...cos they were going to use a suggested alghorhythm bot to do all the leg work for them. Now, they are wondering how I managed to get a song played on the radio, for one thing, even though I've actually done just about nothing the past few years. Probably because I no longer give a hoot for one thing, or to put it a better way, no longer feel inclined to "play the game" any other way than I figure will allow me to feel happy with what I do. In short...there is no absolutre way to predict anything anyway...and sometimes, the only thing to do is to "plant the seeds", and keep planting them, but not to be overconcerned about what's going on 'under the soil'...just keep doing what you dfo...keep planting seeds...and if, say, music is your first passion anyway, which means you're going to be doing it no matter what...just focus on getting the best results, and on making what you do, whether it be in a modern contexxt, or old skool, as relatable to other humans as possible...but you can't do that if you're going to worry about it.

Everyone is looking for a formula. Everyone wants to be Lady Ga Ga...Britney Spears...Michael Jackson...believing that, if only they could do what they did...they'd have latched onto the maghgic formula...alghorhythm.

Ironically, I often do use alghorhythms in musical experimentations...fractal...and do get interesting results...but never do I ever sit back and think "hey, the computer is going to do everything for me".

So, in regards to your CD BABY, the fact that you had the success you did undoubtedly is derivative of the apporach you just described. To date, I've only got one album up on CD BABY, albeit, around ten of my wife's CD's, which were produced by myself. Can't say that I've had much success with that one...not CD BABY's fault. Ironically, I had better results with another album, FEELING DOWN IN DIRTY TOWN, right here, in my locale, primarily because of the fact that it got a great deal of media attention, and got to be a first indie artist album reviewed in Cashbox magaziner which, by the way, I subsequently began to do reviews in, and a monthly column, just under the one done by Tommy James. I'm one of those relative unknowqns who seems to have managed to meet a few of his own heroes, like BJ Thomas, as result of the short stint with the magaziner...which I consider to be quite iroinc as I make my way to the soup kitchen every now and then. Whgatever the case, andplease forgive the rambling...before signing up with CD BBY, I did check out many others...actually, almost all of them. So why did I eventually choose CD BABY? Primirily due to feeling that maybe there was a personal touch involved, which actually got confimreed a couple of times when I called in regartds to problems setting up a CD. At this point, don't want to 'dis' CD BABY, but honestly, if you want to know the truth, it does seem to me that 'the touch' is being lost. I'm hearing that from many others as well. Unfortnately, like any religion, the time comes when a 'schism' developes. Those who ought to have been keeping the faith find themselves drawn to 'take it easy' as it were, cos now "we've got a system", and we've got all the attention...we're now the big guys. As with artists, though, once you begin to lose touch with your audience...the up close personal touch, you may be able to contiune on, but there is always the possibility of a downward spiral, and/or the fact that no one will take you as seriously anymore...even if they might be making use of whatever servisce is provided. But, chances are, they might only be 'hanging on' while looking for something better, and that, as I see it, is not a good thing.Not good at all.

Can it be that at, ae sixty two, I'm gettinmg a bit jaded, cynical, contary, pessimistic? Nahj...don't think so. I'm as optimistic as can be...able to continue doing what I love dfoing for other reasons, still trying to succeeed, in the biz, but not overly worried if, well, it's not going to go. FREEDOM is the word. Now, I can do what I want to do, which is to say "HECK no to following trends", aside from those that interest me. The real trendsetters are never those who follow fashion anyway. The real trendsetters are rebellious as hell. So, when a raqdio station programmer tells one of them "if you want to make it in the biz, go listen to what's being played nowadayss...basicallly, "get with the program". Howe ironic that just a couple of weeks ago, he goes and plays a couple of tunes rejected back a few years ago.

Okay, I've rtambled on long enough. Could be that I'm venting, but then again, it's all your fault, really, cos you did say you want to hear my thoughts.

And, of course, got to get back to finishing yet another mixdown...NEXT STOP BABYLON. And, in case you might like to have a listen, or even if you don't , here's a promo (nah, let's make that spam of) one of the tracks, 'MAY I'.

Keep writing and, when those boys come around again, tell them you can't dfdivulge top secret information, not even if they say MAY I. That, of course, could get them even more keen on sending in someone else, like mybe James Bond..

Bryan Anthony
Wickman Media Productionos

http://youtu.be/1ReWyKlMkVU

YES, Derek, this is the BEST type of contrarian thinking. It's not anti-tech, it's pro-business, pro-experience, pro-quality.

RIGHT ON! RIGHT ON! RIGHT ON!
My employees were instructed that the door would open five minutes BEFORE the sign said, and close five minutes (or more) after. If a customer came to the door earlier, then THAT became opening time, and closing time was after all the customers felt complete without knowing that it was closing time.

Any business that wants to lose my business can let their employees sip coffee inside as they check their watch to be certain that they don't open a moment early while customers are seen standing outside.

And, when the phone rings, the first thing we do before we answer is to give it the same warm smile that we use when our favorite customer walks in the door. It might sound funny, but that smile is totally audible.

Wish every startup reads this post.

--It's not about numbers :-(
--It's the connections and trust you gain
--More trust and authenticity more you win

Thanks derek as always for simple but amazing posts.

Fantastic! Even with the title, I was as dumbfounded as the people who flew to visit when I read about your "algorithm".

Great work, and great article

greatArticle. KeepThemComing

This is such a refreshing post i could actually feel myself relaxing. Thank goodness there's no algorithm for a hug, but please accept my reply as one.

Human touch, well special human touch, is everything. For creativity, it cannot be beat. Otherwise the human touch can be worse than the an algo if it is not the right person. My experience - I was trying and find a solution on V.... (company to remain anonymous) - 1 hour later and a hundred phone push button extensions visited, I had no solution. I eventually got hold of a human and they spent an hour trying to resolve the problem. It was not for lack of effort of their part, but he lacked the appropriate skill set. He then indicated to me that he had to send it upstairs to the engineers. I then chatted with an engineer who solved the problem in 3 minutes. I had just wasted 117 minutes of my time because I did not communicate with the problem solver from the beginning. I told the engineer that she must be in the high rent district salary wise, because she would be the best contact to solve client problems. She indicated that she was and that it helped that she had special equipment to see what the problem was. It all comes down to money in the end and whether the human touch can solve your problem. It is great when you find someone who is enthusiastic and helpful and is not try to sell you anything. But I can tell you, that is very very rare.

Oh how I wish we could have more companies that still have a person answering the phone!!!!!

Hello Derek,

I couldn't agree more with you that a friendly human touch is far and away better than any machine, or tech. item will ever be, and therein lies the problem with many businesses these days. I remember you saying that is how you made CD Baby successful, and you are right on. My wife Rebecca and I took a course in Advanced Customer Service, and you'd be surprised how many of the folks still didn't practice it very well. Of course, we're not perfect either, but if you go in my Acid Planet site you will see how I interact in my replies to reviews, and how I review as well, but unfortunately I'll never make any money from it. Well, I guess one never knows, though. Perhaps it will lead to something good for me, because I do have the music goods. Thanks for sharing your latest with us all. Kindly, Clay Wilson

Brilliant as always, Derek.
I like how you challenge "the right way" to do things, going back to the presumptions people make without noticing and questioning them.
Hope to read more again from you soon!

Nice one Derek

Derek,

Right on...We have clients pleasantly surprised when we answer the phone or personally return a call quickly.

We let then know it is our privilege to help in any way possible.

Inflection in a voice beats a cold-automated response every time.

Robert
Vvego International

Real food for thought in what you wrote. Thanks for this.

Derek,

You never disappoint, you always have something worthwhile to say; just keep saying it. You never know on whose open eyes (or ears) are seeking it. God advice and directions never grow old. But, then, you know that.

Now I know your secret Derek, People are important, machines are only as good as the people using them.
Ariel is much like you Derek. You recommended me to use her "Music Summit". I found Mike Perazzetti in Austin through her, he is now in Atlanta with his radio station. A really good friend. He has given me lots of help and encouragement.

We see people trying to work through the "scaling problem" often and it seems to be part of the resistance...those things that keep you from doing real, true work.

Aside from the (valuable) human touch...there's an intrinsic value you get in working with and hiring people. I might make more money with less employees, but it's nice to know there are 30 families that my business is helping to support.

This is a fantastic article! It's so true. Some people will always shop price, but the loyalty piece goes a long way to eat up a price difference for me.

Jackie Treehorn preached, "100% electronic adult entertainment, wave of the future, Dude." The Dude replied, "Yeah, well, I still jerk off manually."
Yeah, well, y'know, that's just like your opinion, man. — Derek

Derek, Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with so many of us. They're always valuable and make me think.

I love this piece. I do business online with companies where real people still answer the phones and take care of what isn't working on their sites. I can still access real people when I need to call BookBaby and CDBaby.

Sometimes I'd do anything to sit down in person with you and have a true dialogue about your ideas and what they generate in my thinking. Sometimes I'd love to give you a different way of looking at something or add to what you've written. I would want to explore your ideas with you, find out more about how you think, not spend the time talking at you, as you have documented has happened to you in your past--and to me, too!

I'm in my later years, working to get my lifetime of thinking, original music, and writings out the door before it's too late and someone else who doesn't have time to care will come in and throw everything away.

I wanted to have the experience of writing a novel, so that's what I'm doing now, and what a trip into the depths of imagination powered by experience and reflection!

Again, thank you for taking your time to share your thoughts. Even without a two-way conversation with you, I value them and appreciate you sharing pieces of your life journey.

people are the best connectors .. that's why I'm in art

Lovely! Absolutely we need to infuse more Human involvement/input..... Funny we even have to discuss this... Bravo!

Derek....altho I have been receiving your emails for years, I just started reading (before deleting) them
I appreciate your insight and outlook on life.
Thank you for doing what you are doing
Sincerely
Margie Gibson

We were about to design a mobile app that suggest places (restaurants, bars, cafes etc.) based on your current mood and personal choices. But this article made me think that; can we actually make real people to suggest instead of codifying every little personal choices to the locations in a automated way. Just like you ask to a real friend. This can actually minimize the content creation effort and many more. Do you Derek have any ideas on those type of businesses and how can they be monetized?
Easy! Start by just contacting people that know. Email a friend in Chicago and say, “Hey what are a few of the best chill-out places to go in Chicago?” Do this a bunch of times and save their suggestions in your database. As for monetized - no idea. — Derek

I am a firm believer of human touch , but I guess in today's time and day it getting a little tougher to follow this ... though yes 3 cheers for human contact ! :)

"We believe that when you get a machine to do the work of a man, you take something away from the man" - Star Trek Insurrection

Nice way to start the week here in Amsterdam (where spring does not want to come, brrrr). M

I agree, in every field. I just heard the Eric Whitacre chorale in Boston, and it was incredible. "When David Heard" is my top recommendation for experiencing grief-- the loss of a son. His choral sound is Palestrina for the 21st century, shimmeringly gorgeous.

Hi Derek, first of all I must say I agree with you about the idea "the best experience comes from a human relationship", in this way nothing as a human to understand a human. If we think the human brain as a super computer with hundreds, thousands maybe millions of algorithms "coded" naturally it is quite hard to beat with tech tools.

Lessons are more often then not learned by trial and error and I'm a huge fan of learning from you Derek.

The human touch is something that you see rarely these days and it's something that I think big businesses and even small ones are lacking a lot of the time.

One thing I always dread are those phone trees with 15 choices. Many times the choices are vaguely described and I find myself missing the one I really should have chosen. Next comes the frustrated hang-up, redial, re-listen cycle.

Thanks for the incite!!

We have all become Digital Natives in this age. But some of us were Analog Natives before this. But truth be told. We all need to realize that we are just plain Natives and need the Human Tribe (Each Other) to survive!

Very true. I couldn't agree more.

Yay for the Human element. !!

perfect...you're my hero!

Software has its place, but is never the better option to human interaction. The question is where and how to interface one to the other in the interests of greatest benefit to the user. This is what I've spent the better part of 11 years working out with the MyGigNet site.

The framework has been built to anticipate as many directions as possible for the conversation to travel - the fundamental software part, to now develop three key apps (out of many that all interface with each other) that speak to functional intent - the interfacing of software to human interaction, and then let the relationships develop, respecting the integrity of each person, where he's coming from, where he wants to go, and what he contributes.

My great uncle used to say that you don't sell a product or a service - these are outcomes - but present yourself, so you'd better be as "good a you as you can be" - and listen.

I think you're right. The technology can't replace the human senses or sensitivity. I worry about technology in education because I believe that there is learning that takes place when pen is put to paper. I'd love to see a study on that.

I will remember your words the next time I am given the "opportunity" to choose what I want . . . . amongst an array of annoying phone selections presented to me by an unfeeling voice in need of an injection of human spirit.

Other than that, I enjoyed my own human intervention this morning as I walked from house to house, along many blocks (connecting with other "humanoid eccentrics" out for a daily stroll) whilst inserting into post boxes "by hand" invitations to my next art exhibition. . . I've been doing that "unmechanically" for the past 45 years - delivering "by hand" invitations and posters for store windows - though I could easily afford to pay 10 people to do the same.

To those who don't understand, that means I must be unsuccessful. . . "stuck" to do the grunt work myself. To me it's exercise and money in the bank - not spent on a complex array of unfeeling corporations hellbent on robotically and unfeelingly delivering my message to the world. . . Long live being imperfectly and wondrously human.

Well, I would love to know what went on in these people's heads on their flight back...

Thanks for keeping it real as you always do..

We all sense it because you walk your talk Derek.

Great points and article. In my hobby field, security engineering, we've seen the same thing. They tried to get computers to be smart enough to instantly prevent, recognize or react to all threats. Most of them keep failing miserably. The successful operations put people in the loop to do what people are good at and computers are not.

Side note: I figure that the "challenging" and "interesting" field of AI research would have disappeared by now if it was so easy to replace humans wholesale. ;)

Derek.
I whole-heartedly agree. I ALSO agree from the perspective of the bottom line and the top line. While there is a successful place for automation: (e.g. ATM's) there is nothing more efficient nor valuable as humans. Even the gargantuan "cloud" provider Amazon Web Services realized that there are simply tasks that humans do better. And thus we have Mechanical Turk.
Years ago, I was part of a project to introduce a new genre of music to the world. Recovery Music. (Based upon the 12 Step Process of recovery). We started an Internet radio station; www.12STepRadio.com and where did most of our upcoming, inspirational artists have their CDs for sale? You guessed it. CDbaby.com
Well done my friend.

Live the Dream! ...cuz if you're not, you're doing it wrong.
~mikes@Amazinglife.us

The fashion of ideas swings back and forth... I think we are all starting to get over the '4 hour workweek'-itis; as great and inspiring as it was. Running the numbers for songscription.com, I don't think it can ever be a 'Huge American Dollar Factory,' but I do hope it can serve independent musicians.

I see it in my family and friends. I see it in myself. We want the "magic" moment of grand payout. SUDDENLY we are there, huge, successful-whatever. And if I just (fill in the blank) it will happen; I will have arrived.

It's a journey of learning how to serve.

I think what what we crave is connection, and that is the human element sacrificed in our efforts to efficiently achieve the BIG picture. Even more ironic, as you have indicated, that very human quality could potentially inspire and satisfy masses of people.

I think the amount of time, man-hours as this used to be called!, that is usually needed to add that dollop of human intervention that makes All the Difference, is far less than many expect.

Most of the time IF the automated part of what is offered, is truly user-friendly-usable, the smallest sprinkling of well informed human seasoning is enough to create a service that excels.

This is based on my own experience with online travel where endless free advice by email or phone, was offered. Some email correspondence was requested but phone requests for help or information was at about 1% and an easy 1% at that (usually customers wanting the reassurance of a human voice.).

Now that was great!! Thanks a lot for these insights.

You are sooooooo refreshing!

So true !
thank you.
I like your book very much.
And this story is, in my opinion, very symptomatic of the actual "business time period", sadly.
But, some guys do it right, with human purpose, like you did.
And, it works :)

People are our most valuable asset.

One of the truest things you've ever said and it's always been that way. In so many instances it is the small thing that makes the difference and only human beings think of doing the small stuff. It's why we went to CD Baby to sell our CDs, I stick with my bank because they have a really helpful call centre, I shop at the drum store where the guy went out back and spent 20 mins finding me a screw I needed and then didn't charge me for it. Despite the fact I could get the stuff I need cheaper on the internet. I'd rather he had the money.

As we have found with our fans, you want people to come back time and again if you're really going to be successful and they'll only do that if they/you have made human contact. Or, as we used to say in the old days, customer service.

Press 0 for a human......
FB was getting overwhelming, so I made a "Musicians" page and asked people to friend me there. One of my friend/fans got really hurt by it, so I just quit looking at the musicians page and started 'friending' again. I just didn't have the heart to offend anyone else....

Some years ago a book came out with future directions for our culture. The author proposed that as we became more high tech as one end of the spectrum, we would need more "high touch" at the other. I am in the high touch group as a sound healer and deep listener. I loved what you had to say and wish more were thinking this way.

Could you do something on burnout for the entrepreneur operating with little or no capital, please? I see and hear this problem alot.
Bless you, Derek. Keep it up!

Common sense...but so few practice it.

Spot on, Derek. Love how you think. I'll shares a quick recent example from my business. I automated a process down from ~4 hours to ~1 hour. My initial thought was to keep going and get it down to, say, 15 minutes. But I came to realize that 1 hour was the ideal processing time. Non-value-add tasks were automated, but 1 hour was adequate time to reflect on the information I was working with and to deeply understand it. I could produce a far better end product giving it more time. Slow. It. Down. Speed. Will. Kill.
Nice example! Interesting point to optimize, but not too far.... — Derek

Awesome blog post!

When starting a new business, it's often easy to get cocky and forget the human element.

Your post reminded me how important it is to truly respect people. The more a business can do that (we're trying), the more success becomes an inevitability.

Thank you Mr. Sivers!

Always solid, sensible advice Derek, much respect.

Keep it up!

Truer words have never been spoken, Derek.

I also believe, in this era of automation, personal touch is the differentiator.

I remember what Ben Settle once said - when asked what email subjects are the most effective when writing to a list of customers.

His reply was, if the customer knows your name, trusts you, and enjoys your writing, it doesn't matter what email subjects you're using. He will open your correspondence nevertheless. Do you need a nicely crafted headline when you email a friend? I didn't think so.

Once again you nailed it! That's why you are my Guru! :-)

Hi Derek, yes using ears /multiples of ears attached to people who love & care about music is the best way . For us muso's its kinda obvious but to Mr pin-stripe suit its what! Seems they automatically turn towards sales/time/cost based ideas. A Corporate weakness ......where arty things are concerned.
Music fans can recommend something similar having listened voluntarily for years & until there is a huge (& ever evolving) database/algo of "co-ordinated " music , these personal recommendations are the best/only way .Also fans have amazing computers installed in their brains - they can give info on other related incidental stuff (band members/producers etc etc)
Bye for now. Phil.

Lovely. Thanks.

Derek~ This blog entry was awesome! Rage against the machine!!!! Music and art at its personal best-and your belief in yourself made me smile-inspirational!

Totally.

Derek, customer service will be the new black. It is so easy to stand out when everyone is hiding from their prospects.

I add a P.S - I reply to my emails and it works wonders in opening up dialogue with buyers and real people who just want to be heard.

Great post, thank you,

James

This is interesting. It works too, one of the reasons I chose the hypnotherapy training I did was because the lead tutor was accessible and really takes a lot of care to respond to questions personally and promptly.

So true. where is the human today and so tired of punch button for language you want also. In AMERICA then speak English, period. Bring back the human touch and your business will grow for sure. TerryLee

I love your articles. I don't always comment, but this one inspired me to let you know that real people are reading and using what you post. Thank you!
Thanks Angela. I appreciate it. — Derek

Great reminder. One of my tasks is checking over and optimizing data to keep the end user experience easier. I don't relish it, but if it makes the customer's life easier, it's the way to go.

Looking forward to learning more about you, Derek!

If you are writing a book, I'm gonna buy it!

:)

www.facebook.com/pages/Elyse-OConnor/133483860086481

Derek,

I love this. I think (and have thought for a long time), that in our technologically-driven world, people crave human, authentic interaction. It makes all the difference in the world. Ironically, that's one of the reasons that twitter is so effective as a marketing tool. You get to interact with many people, but are sharing something just with them! That's also one of the reasons I play the music I play...rootsy, authentic....

thanks for your thoughts.

Robin

So totally right, Derek! We ourselves as humans are the ghost in the machine.

Absolutely agree with you! The best example in the retail industry is Zappos with their customer service hotline. But what do you think about Amazon? They have minimum outlets that "customers" can go to. The best they can do is email. And yet they are very successful

There's still no substitution for the human mind. A person can carry out a simple chore such as "set the bed" which is still impossible to be done by a machine.

Brilliant as always Derek.

It's the same with building a fanbase. And it's why social media can be so magical. Because you can keep it personal and scale it too. But if all you do is tweet out your shows or what you had for dinner, there's no engagement there. There's no one real person to another real person feeling.

Lots of artists ask me, I've got 5000 likes but no one will buy my download. A like is a very low bar. It means very little. Building those likes into a fanbase that is passionate about you requires connection and engagement. It requires YOU.

OMG! My pet peeve is calling a company and having to go through 12 different key prompts before I even get to the question I needed to ask. Not only are we putting folks out of work, but we are creating many angry clients, who will try to leave that company when they find one with a cheery human being on the other end! Thank you, thank you for this article!!! No wonder we all loved CD Baby so much!

Hola DEREK
Pienso que el objetivo de toda actividad, arte negocio, es la Humanidad, la calidez del Amor
Un Abrazo Grande
Ramon Boter

in these times of global unemployment everyone is chasing their own tails reducing costs by firing people forgetting customer relationship and quality... and making those same customers go away. And the answer lies exactly in what you write here, and it's proven that "a little human intervention can be a competitive advantage" either through customer relationship, salesmanship rhetoric or just a kind word from behind the counter, proves that people are the best algorithms to react to people.
We're emotional and social beings and any business, service or product developer that ignores that is missing something... even the "next facebook" will have to have as many real people using it as this one or it won't matter!

instead of reducing costs by firing people how about keeping your employees and keeping them happy so that they spread the word about your service and product... it's probably cheaper than spending more and more on advertising and market research?!

I've been meaning to read this article for a few weeks now. (finally getting caught up on some of my 'things-I-want-to-do' list)

I've tried all sorts of things to promote my band over the years, and they usually end up in some sort of personal contact with either new potential fans or existing fans. No matter how hard I try to get something automated going, it never seems to work the same.

We went through the phase of automating our MySpace friends years ago. It grew the online numbers, but I never knew if the people being added were even real. I didn't see an increase in attendence at shows.

Some of the more personal approaches have been walking the line outside big concerts (of bands in the same genre as us) and demoing our music with a couple sets of headphones and an ipod. If people liked what they heard, I'd ask if they'd buy a CD for $5, and around 320 people actually did! It took me between 10-15 concerts to reach that amount, but it worked. Anyone who took a minute to even hear me out would at least take home a post card.

The problem with the walking the line up approach is that I would have to follow a tour to 4 or 5 cities, and drive a few hours here and there, and not end up covering my own costs but it was an investment I was willing to make.

Recently I've started looking into getting more social with social media. In doing so, I've started keeping my own data base of who our fans are, and where they're from, so that I can keep in touch with them and inform them of upcoming events or band news they might be interested in. And it's not automated at all. It's me on the computer or my phone apps, engaging in conversations with the fans, and then asking them if I can get some info from them to keep them updated. So far everyone is into it! While it's definitely a time consuming process, it feels pretty rewarding and I'm sure it'll be even more rewarding when we play a show in their town. Only time will tell, but in the meantime I'm getting to know a lot of great people!

Best articulation of what I DO for my clients, and WHY!!

Thank you.

Love this! So true. I'm in the beginning processes of starting up my business. I've been in the customer service business for over 25 years and one thing I refuse to do is cut corners on customer service. It can make or break a business.

You're onto something. Intelligent promotion is the first priority of any business model. The leanest most efficient business will want for customers without first meeting their market with good promotion. The personal touches you mention here create value with the customer. That's all a business ever has to do. Without good promotion put first, scaling up may never matter.

Hi Derek,

I joined CD Baby when you still ran it. Interestingly, the tone of CD Baby communications isn't quite as friendly and personable as it was under your leadership. I miss that.

More generally, I agree with your article. When communicating with our fans I try to be peshare info about our trio, etc., not just ask them to come to our next gig.

As always, thanks for sharing.

For me it boils down to this: "do I need a human with this specific goal or not?" for example, I love the automated cinema tickets with the app and everything...I pick the best seats, pay, and the tickets are waiting for me at the machines...smooth and easy. but when I call the bank or the insurance company, I want a human being to answer my call (on the second ring) and help me with my questions. so I think the "rule" here is...who will give me (the costumer) a better experience for my specific goal, a machine or a human? it's all about the costumer experience and needs. thank you for a great post!

comment # 332, "do I need a human with this specific goal or not" reminds me of what the inventor of communication satellites, Arthur C. Clarke, said back when teaching machines for things like math were new: "If a teacher can be replaced by a machine, then he should be."

I take it to mean that anything a machine can do is a distraction from what a person can do, that the main thing, the "competitive advantage" for a teacher is the human connection.

An old man once advised that he tries to leave every stranger and acquaintance feeling better, not worse, for having met him. I try to do that too.

There's no substitute for H.I. It's a proven people pleaser.

That tiny human touch makes a huge difference . We need to invest more in our people, nothing can ever replace human connection no matter how much we love tecnology , we still need that connection .....loved your article.