What Is the Human Gap in Technology?
The human gap is the disconnect between revolutionary technology and the humans who need it most, costing companies billions in lost sales and loyalty.
My 78-year-old father drives Uber daily. He navigates apps, accepts rides, and manages his earnings without breaking a sweat. But when I took him to test drive a Tesla last month, he was terrified.
Not of the car. Not of the technology. Of the experience.
Here's a vehicle that could literally save his life. Full Self-Driving technology that compensates for slower reaction times. Safety features designed for exactly someone his age. And the entire sales process was so cold, so automated, so inhuman that he walked out convinced this technology "wasn't for him."
He's wrong. Tesla is wrong. And this gap between revolutionary technology and the humans who need it most is costing companies billions.
I know because I almost experienced it from the inside.
Why Do Tech Companies Fail at Customer Service?
Tech companies optimize for transaction processing, not human connection. They train staff to move volume rather than understand what buyers actually need.
A few years ago, I semi-retired and interviewed at Tesla as an advisor. The interview process revealed everything wrong with tech customer service today.
Nothing focused on customer care. Zero emphasis on how to close a sale. No discussion of understanding what a buyer actually needs. The entire orientation seemed designed to find warm bodies who could process transactions. Not salespeople. Not advisors. Transaction processors.
I walked away thinking this was a company problem. Turns out it's an industry problem. And it's creating one of the biggest opportunities I've seen in decades.
How Much Money Do Companies Lose From Bad Customer Experience?
Companies lose $3.7 trillion globally each year from bad customer experiences. U.S. businesses alone lose $75 billion from poor customer service.
That $3.7 trillion figure comes from Qualtrics XM Institute research in 2024, and it jumped 19% from the previous year. The losses aren't happening because products are bad or competitors are better. They're happening because companies forgot how to be human.
Google. Meta. Tesla. Some of the wealthiest, most innovative companies on the planet. Companies that have literally changed how humans live. And you cannot get a real person on the phone to save your life.
Meta doesn't even have a general public phone number for customer service. Their official position: phone numbers claiming to be for Meta customer support are potentially scams. A company worth hundreds of billions of dollars tells you to visit their Help Center instead of talking to a human.
This isn't a bug. This is a feature. And it's creating massive opportunity for anyone paying attention.
How Does Screen Time Affect Workplace Communication Skills?
Children with higher screen time develop fewer verbal communication skills. This generation now manages customer service departments without foundational training in genuine conversation.
A 2024 JAMA Pediatrics study found that for every additional minute of screen time, children heard fewer adult words, spoke fewer vocalizations, and engaged in fewer back-and-forth interactions with parents. By 24 months old, the average child is exposed to nearly 2.5 hours of screens per day.
We're raising a generation that learned to swipe before they learned to speak.
These kids are now entering the workforce. They're becoming managers. They're running customer service departments. And many never learned the fundamental human skill of genuine conversation.
When I interviewed at Tesla, the managers running the process were young, smart, and capable with technology. But when I asked about customer relationships, about understanding what makes a buyer hesitate, about the emotional journey of a major purchase, I got blank stares.
They didn't know. Because nobody taught them. Because in the world they grew up in, human connection was something that happened between notifications.
Why Do Older Adults Struggle With Technology Adoption?
Older adults don't struggle with technology itself. AARP research shows 39% cite ease of use and setup support as barriers, not capability.
Let me tell you exactly what happened when I took my dad to Tesla.
We scheduled a test drive. We showed up. A young advisor handed us a key card and pointed at the car: "Take it around the block. Let me know if you have questions."
My father handles a smartphone daily for Uber. He's not afraid of technology. But he needed someone to walk him through it. To explain what Full Self-Driving actually does. To show him how safety features work for someone his age. To understand that his hesitation wasn't about capability but about confidence.
Nobody did that. The advisor was friendly enough, competent enough, but completely unequipped to do anything except process a transaction.
I told them I was ready to buy. Literally said I wanted to purchase the vehicle. The follow-up? Automated texts. No human. No phone call. No one asking what I needed to make the decision.
I still haven't bought the Tesla. Not because I don't want it. Because nobody made it easy.
Now multiply my father by every person over 70 who could benefit from technology designed to keep them safe. People who need this technology more than any other demographic. People who will never buy because the companies selling it have forgotten how to be human.
According to AARP's 2024 research, the biggest barriers to tech adoption among adults 50 and older are ease of use at 20% and setup and support at 19%. Not the technology itself. The human element surrounding it.
Why Can't You Reach a Human at Big Tech Companies?
Big tech companies like Meta, Google, and Tesla deliberately minimize human support. Meta doesn't even publish a customer service phone number.
Here's what the average business owner experiences when they need help from their technology vendors:
A Meta advertiser documented his support experience on LinkedIn recently. The automated system acknowledged his inquiry, promised to check details, claimed he was unavailable despite actively participating in the chat, promised to connect him with a human agent, then went silent for over 30 minutes. The conversation ended without any actual support provided.
This is a company where advertisers spend thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars. And they can't get a human on the phone.
The same story plays out across every major tech platform. Google. Amazon Web Services. Shopify at scale. The bigger the company, the harder it is to reach a person who can actually help.
| Company | Human Support Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Meta | No public phone number; Help Center only |
| Automated routing; human access varies by product | |
| Tesla | Limited phone support; primarily app-based |
| Amazon (consumer) | Chat-first; phone available but discouraged |
What Is the Biggest Business Opportunity in AI?
The biggest opportunity in AI is human connection. As automation commoditizes technology, the ability to be genuinely human becomes the rarest skill.
Here's what I've learned after ten years building Tier Level from zero to nearly $3 million in revenue: every major tech company is racing to implement AI, automate customer service, and reduce headcount. They see humans as costs to be minimized.
But they're creating a vacuum. And into that vacuum flows everyone who understands that technology without humanity is just expensive frustration.
Think about the last time you finally got a real person on the phone who actually helped you. How did it feel? Like finding water in a desert. Like someone finally speaking your language. You remember that person. You tell others about them. You become loyal in a way that no amount of automated efficiency could create.
The companies that combine technological capability with genuine human connection will dominate the next decade. Not because their tech is better. Because their humans are better.
How Can Businesses Compete Against AI Automation?
Compete on humanity, not technology. When everyone has AI, the only differentiator left is genuine human connection and emotional intelligence.
If you're a business owner, here's your competitive advantage roadmap:
1. Invest in people who can actually talk to customers.
Real conversations. Not scripts. Not templates. Human beings who listen, understand, and respond with empathy.
2. Train your team on emotional intelligence, not just technical competence.
The ability to sense what a customer is really asking. To understand the fear behind a question. To make someone feel heard before you make them feel sold.
3. Be available when your competitors are hiding behind chatbots.
A real phone number. A real email that gets real responses. A human who picks up when someone needs help.
Your AI implementation won't be your advantage. Everyone's implementing AI. Your advantage is maintaining humanity while everyone else races toward full automation.
Which Tech Companies Have the Worst Customer Service?
Tesla, Meta, and Google build revolutionary technology but have removed nearly all human touchpoints from customer support, leaving billions in potential revenue on the table.
Tesla: You build technology that could literally save lives. Full Self-Driving capability is remarkable. Safety features are genuinely life-changing for older drivers. And your sales process is so disconnected from human needs that you're leaving millions of potential customers behind. My father should own a Tesla. Your process made sure he doesn't.
Meta: You connect billions of humans. Your entire business model depends on human connection. And you've made it nearly impossible for the humans using your platform to connect with you when they need help. The irony would be funny if it weren't so expensive for the businesses that depend on you.
Google: You organize the world's information. You know more about user behavior than any company in history. And your support infrastructure treats people like problems to be routed instead of humans to be helped.
The opportunity: Whoever builds the bridge between these technological giants and the humans who need them will build a very successful business. Training companies. Consulting firms. Customer experience agencies. The demand is massive. The supply is nonexistent.
How Do You Build Technology for Humans First?
Build for a 65-year-old who just wants things to work, not a tech-savvy millennial. If you build for that person, you build for everyone.
Every piece of technology I build for clients starts with the same question: How does a human actually use this?
Not how could they use it in perfect conditions. Not how would a tech-savvy millennial navigate it. How does a 65-year-old business owner who just wants things to work actually interact with this system?
The AI revolution is coming whether we like it or not. The companies that win won't be the ones with the most sophisticated automation. They'll be the ones who use technology to make human connection easier, not harder.
What Should Tech Companies Do to Improve Customer Experience?
Tech companies should test their own support systems as customers, timing how long it takes to reach a human and measuring the emotional experience of getting help.
Here's my challenge to Tesla, Meta, and Google:
Call one of your customers. Pick one at random. A real customer with a real problem. Try to help them through your own support system.
- Time how long it takes to reach a human
- Count how many automated responses they receive
- Track how many times they're asked to verify their identity or repeat their problem
- Measure the emotional experience of being your customer
Then ask yourself: Is this how we want humans to feel when they interact with our company?
Right now, the answer from millions of your customers is: No. And the companies that provide a different answer are going to eat your lunch while you're still routing tickets to chatbots.
What Is the Future of Human Connection in Business?
Understanding how to be human with AI is the next gold rush. When technology becomes a commodity, humanity becomes the only sustainable competitive advantage.
AI isn't going away. But AI is going to make everything else a commodity. When everyone has the same technological capabilities, the only differentiator left is the human element.
I'm building Tier Level around this principle:
- Technology that empowers instead of replaces
- Systems that enhance human capability instead of eliminating human contact
- Marketing that actually understands the people it's trying to reach
If you're a business owner frustrated by inhuman treatment from technology vendors, you're not alone. There's a better way.
If you're a tech company executive who found this article through a brand mention alert, take this as the wake-up call it's meant to be. Your products are amazing. Your humanity is missing. Fix it before someone else does.
And if you're my father's age, intimidated by technology that could genuinely make your life better, know that the problem isn't you. The problem is companies that forgot their job is to serve humans, not process transactions.
The human gap is the biggest opportunity in business today. The only question is who's going to fill it.
Ready to compete on humanity instead of just technology?
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