Automate and still touch?

It was sometime after the third successful campaign launch when someone in the team said:
Everything is going well. But does it also feel human?
A brief moment of silence.
Because of course, the KPIs are right. The journeys are clean. The triggers are working.
And yet this one question lingered:
Can a system controlled by algorithms create real proximity?

Humanity is no coincidence, it is a design element

Automation is never the problem. The problem is when it feels impersonal.
And that often doesn't happen because the process is bad, but because the human element has been forgotten.
There are so many ways to create closeness:

🔹 Language: a friendly tone that doesn't sound like something out of a manual.
🔹 Timing: Messages that come at the right moment - not too early, not too late.
🔹 Relevance: Content that is not generic, but fits the exact behavior or phase.
🔹 Recognizable senders: names, faces, signatures - even if they are pre-planned.

It's not about deceiving people.
It's about building trust in a digital process.

The “human touch” in practice

A few examples that show how automation and proximity do not have to be opposites:

📹 Personalized videos: Tools such as Bonjoro or Loom enable short, individualized video messages. They can be triggered automatically but recorded by real people - for example, to welcome new customers or explain complex content.

🖋️ Handwritten cards: It sounds old school - and maybe it is. But a physical, handwritten message has a huge impact, especially in a digital environment. And yes - there are providers that (partially) automate this process.

📞 Telephone touchpoints: A classic call at the right time - e.g. after a download, before a contract is signed or for an anniversary. The impulse can be triggered automatically, the conversation itself remains human. Hybrid thinking, deliberately placed.

💬 Live chats instead of just chatbots: here, too, it's all about the combination. Automated answers for simple questions - but with the option of involving a real person at any time.

Incorporate personal aspects into the process, consciously, not by chance

What often helps: Outline processes and consciously look for places where humanity is missing.

A simple model for this:

1. List touchpoints
2. Define the goal of the moment (Inform? Connect? Convince?)
3. Ask: What would have a human effect here - without being unnatural?
4. adjust the degree of automation - not every link has to be “fully digital”

The aim is not to make everything “emotional”.
But to allow real connection where it makes sense.

A final thought

Perhaps it's not about the contrast between man and machine.
Maybe it's about a new interaction.
Automation is not the opposite of humanity.
It is the framework, but what we make of it determines how it feels.

Would you like to find out more about this topic and what automation you urgently need? Then arrange a consultation directly at www.asioso.com.