Words of: Rabih Farhat, Founder & CEO of Related

Believe it or not, but The Ritz Carlton has once served a Giraffe Doll as their guest. Why you may ask?

It all started when their guest Chris Hurns and his family spent their vacation in Florida. After checking out from the hotel, they noticed their child had accidentally left behind his favorite giraffe doll.

Chris asked the hotel to not just send the doll back but to also snap photos of it by the poolside to reassure his son that it was enjoying an extended vacation there. Going the extra mile, The Ritz Carlton sent them photos of the giraffe enjoying the hotel’s many facilities and amenities, bringing joy and relief to the child.

The story went viral. This simple act of kindness showed the world how good they take care not only of their customers but of their belongings as well.

In today’s world, brands invest heavily in AI Vanilla tools. This allows them to automate the prediction of customer needs and preferences, while also taking precedence over interactions once reserved for humans. According to the KPMG global survey, 61% of respondents revealed to be either ambivalent or unwilling to trust AI.

Will we reach a stage where the Giraffe Doll example, orchestrated by the Ritz Carlton’s staff empathy and Emotional Intelligence (EI), is replaced by an automated AI tool?

Let’s dig into the symbiotic relationship between AI and EI and see how they intersect to revolutionize and humanize brand loyalty and customer experience.

Where AI and EI Meet

Picture yourself walking into your favorite coffee shop. You pass by every morning at around 8 AM on your way to work to pick up your first caffeine shot of the day.

Paul, your neighbourhood cashier is replaced with a robot greeting you warmly by name and suggesting a few of your favorite drinks. This friendly robot doesn’t only know your coffee preferences, but it also has access to your purchase history and can give you a tailored recommendation for your drink.

All this is done to offer you a seamless experience from the moment you walk in by analyzing data and giving you personalized recommendations with unparalleled accuracy. That’s how AI functions.

Now imagine this: it’s the last Friday of the month and you’re tight on budget so you receive this message:

We know the end of the month is always a tough time, but we’re here to make your moments much sweeter!Pass by our shop today and enjoy a warm cup of your preferred flatwhite coffee, on the house! Happy Friday!

The use of EI here has not only suggested coffee based on their previous purchase patterns but has understood the mindset of the consumer at the specific moment and has shown the needed empathy.

In a nutshell…

Empathy, Ethics, and Trust. Those are 3 characteristics that AI alone can never achieve.

It’s crucial to balance between AI and EI where the former streamlines processes and enhances efficiency, while the latter adds depth and authenticity to customer engagements. Therefore, businesses must ensure that AI-driven strategies retain a human and ethical touch to preserve the emotional connection that drives customer loyalty.

The fusion of both can humanize and revolutionize customer experience in today’s ever-changing needs where human-like interactions are valued over any other.