CPC Thought Leadership: Talking to a Human Is a Premium Service
Supply and demand are usually discussed in economic terms. When something people value is readily available, we tend to take its availability for granted. When it becomes harder to obtain, we may notice and value it differently. What happens if we apply that same lens to human attention?
For most of our lives, talking to another person has been an ordinary part of receiving a service. We called an organization, and someone answered; we walked into a business and dealt with an employee; or we had a question and explained it to another human being. Increasingly, many of those interactions are being replaced by self-service systems, automated processes, digital platforms, and artificial intelligence. Often, that’s an improvement. Few of us need a meaningful human relationship to reset a password or confirm an appointment.
But automation may also be quietly changing the relative supply of something else: access to thoughtful human attention.
That matters because some interactions are difficult to standardize. A client may not know exactly what they need. They may contradict themselves, change direction, struggle to explain something, or reveal an important detail almost as an afterthought. A skilled career professional can notice hesitation, ask an unexpected question, challenge an assumption, connect information from earlier in the conversation, or recognize that the question being asked isn’t really the question that needs answering.
Scarcity alone, of course, does not make something valuable. A frustrating conversation with a person is not automatically better than an efficient automated interaction. If human connection is going to become a premium part of career service, the value will come from what we do with the interaction. Listening well. Exercising judgement. Asking better questions. Bringing context. Creating trust. Helping someone think rather than simply supplying an answer.
Perhaps that creates an interesting reversal for career professionals. Technology may allow us to automate more of the routine work around our services. Instead of making the human part less important, that could give us an opportunity to become much more deliberate about where we invest it.
As efficient digital interactions become abundant, genuine professional attention may become increasingly distinctive.
Technology may help deliver the service. But when another person needs someone to truly understand what is happening, you are the premium service.
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CPC Thought Leadership. Advancing ideas that shape our profession.
– By Sharon Graham, Founder and Chair of Career Professionals of Canada –
The insights shared are the author’s own, supported by OpenAI and Pictory.
I love this, Sharon! One of the many things I loved about the CFS course is that preparing for the future is not just about understanding technology, but also about understanding people. In my work with internationally trained skilled trades professionals, I have seen how one conversation can make a real difference. Sometimes a client comes with one question, but as we start talking, we discover something much more important that needs attention. Technology can give us information in seconds, but taking the time to listen, understand, and build trust is something we should never lose. Such an amazing course! I am so glad I had the opportunity to take it.
Thank you so much, Eman! I’m delighted that you found the CFS course valuable. I especially appreciate your observation that a conversation can uncover something far more important than the original question. That’s the kind of human connection and understanding that technology can’t replace. I’m so glad you’re bringing these ideas into your work with clients!