In this episode, Shannon explores "The Analog Advantage," delving into the irreplaceable value of human connection amid our increasingly automated world. Reflecting on a conversation with her mentor, Mel Abraham, Shannon addresses how over-reliance on automation may erode the personal touch crucial for client satisfaction.
Shannon shares how her team has rebalanced their processes, reducing automation to reintroduce high-touch, personalized interactions. This episode is packed with practical advice on balancing efficiency with genuine human connections, bolstering client loyalty and long-term value.
What you'll hear in this episode:
06:30 Balance automation with personal touch for client loyalty.
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The information contained in this podcast is intended for educational purposes only and is not individual tax advice. Please consult a qualified professional before implementing anything you learn.
(upbeat music) - Welcome to Keep What You Earned, your judgment and jargon-free zone for entrepreneurs of all levels. Get ready to learn how to scale your business, save money in taxes, and create a business that grows your wealth. If it feels like the financial side of business is like eating your vegetables, well, then think of this podcast as the ranch dressing to make the process a little more enjoyable. My name is Shannon Weinstein. I'm a CPA and business owner on a mission to simplify money and empower others through knowledge. I hope this episode inspires you to take action, but remember that the information we share is for educational purposes only, and is not individual tax advice. Now that we got that out of the way, let's start the show. (upbeat music) So I just got back from a walk, and I was chatting with my mentor, Mel Abraham. If you don't know Mel, go back through the archives and listen to the interview I did with him. He's amazing. And we were talking about, I really wish I recorded this phone call, but we were talking about automation, and we were talking about the actual advantage of analog these days. And it's gotten a little crazy because I came up in a world, I grew up in a world, where if you digitize something, if you automate something, if you create efficiency, that you have a leg up on your competition, and that you're able to deliver a superior product or service because you're able to deliver on automation and do things faster. And what I've learned in five years in business, and just being in 2024 right now, and being in the environment that we're in, is that I feel like we over corrected that issue. We went so hard into the automation and digitization and delegation, whatever it is, of everything, that I feel like we really lost touch with the human connection in a lot of areas. And myself included. So an example was that I realized this year that our onboarding process for CFO clients was, had a lot of automations in it, like it had a lot of welcome email, and then it had a series of emails that went on after that. And while that's all well and good, I thought to myself, well, hold on a second, just hold the phone. These people are investing a pretty significant amount every month to be a part of our group or a part of our client roster. And, you know, we have this activation phase where it's between, I call this activation phase, it's borrowed from Leylor Mosi's videos. 'Cause I love this term for it. It's kind of where I started hearing it more, is that timeframe between when someone buys your product or service and when they finally receive value. So when they actually have that activation point. And I call it the activation timeframe because it's that kind of limbo when there are your clients, but they haven't realized the results. They haven't really had their kickoff meeting, they haven't necessarily reaped any value or any benefit just yet. And we wanna shorten that time to value, she calls it as quickly as possible. Now, that timeframe that we're in activation though is when, frankly, as a customer myself, I value the most, the high touch. So if I feel like I'm being carried along, where I feel like these are personal emails, custom emails being written to me and to me only, then I feel like I feel seen and heard and understood. And that is the most important time to feel seen and heard and understood when you just bought the product or service, but you haven't quite realized the potential of the value. Because this is when you want the reassurance, the nurturing to say, "Hey, I got you." Don't worry, we're in this together, I got you, we're gonna do it, we're gonna get you that result. So I say that to support my belief that when we looked at our onboarding this past year, we decided to strip away a lot of automation. We decided to take out a lot of stuff that was, yes, saving us time. But in the name of what, saving us a little bit of time, we onboard maybe two clients every quarter, and that's intentional because it's a very small roster. So I said, if we're doing something maybe five, six times a year, then why do we need to automate it? You know, why would we not want to invest that energy and pour into and even do a video? I'm actually looking at doing video introductions and video explanations custom for every single client that on boards with us because we can. And what I've realized is that it matters, this is the differentiator now. Like it matters that they feel like it's a human because we can all sniff out AI generated content, we can sniff out automations, we can sniff out social media managers and all that stuff, copywriters. I feel like we can really start sniffing those out soon. And it's a really important step to feel like you're not an afterthought as a client or a customer and that somebody cares enough to do a direct outreach to you, spend their time speaking to you directly. And unfortunately, that is a differentiator right now. And it sounds so funny to say, but going back to analog, going back to handwritten cards, going back to simply calling a person, calling someone is where we differentiate ourselves. I just had an experience where one of you listening to this probably reached out to me via email. And I said, "Huh, she has a really good question." And the email, I'm gonna give her a call. Her phone number is in the subject line. And I called her and she was like, "Oh my God, I can't believe you called me." And I was like, "Well, you asked a great question and you gave me your phone number." (laughs) You know, you didn't request a call, but I said, "You know what, I wanna have this conversation and I picked up the phone and I called her." And I think that the more we can free ourselves up to embrace those moments, the more we can free up the energy to really deliver on the people who invest in us and like our clients who literally invest in us or loyal followers and listeners like you guys, the more we can free ourselves up to really capture those moments and to be aware and be present, the better off our business is gonna be. So yes, there is some automation involved. I'm not advocating against automation, but I am saying that sometimes you gotta really pick your places. You really have to be aware of when automation is appropriate and when it really strips away your power in those moments where human connection, where high touch is really gonna differentiate you and build client loyalty and increase client lifetime value 'cause at the end of the day, that is a really important factor. So I would challenge you today to go through your SOPs, go through your process, go through your, you know, your onboarding, employee onboarding, client onboarding and off boarding to start with and say, hey, where can I actually remove an automation and create an opportunity for personal touch? You know, where could we customize welcome gifts? Where could we, you know, do direct outreach, call the person, you know, collect information through a conversation instead of an online form, which I know sounds crazy because it's so much more efficient, but efficient for who? And actually asking our clients, asking our customers, how do you prefer to be contacted when they first reach out to you? And then following that. So if they prefer email, ask them questions via email, if they prefer phone, pick up the phone and being willing to accommodate their style and their preference, it will go a long way. So just be aware of the things that you might be doing to increase your own efficiency, but at the expense of your client experience. (upbeat music) Most accounts will try to bill you for those quick questions or make you feel like you're bothering them. And the truth is that the quick questions are what I love about what we do. That's why I created a new and accessible offer for you to be able to message me your questions and get the support you need when you need it. It's called the CFO on demand. You can now get affordable help and access to me and my team without a high monthly fee. You can also upgrade and get access to a private one-on-one office hours to bring your specific strategies to the table. Want to learn more? Head to the CFO on demand.com or click the link in the show notes. Again, that's the CFO on demand. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review on your podcast platform. This small action goes a long way for podcasters to get our message heard by more business owners just like you. Be sure to check out the show notes for links to information about our guests and ways to get in touch with me. We'll see you on the next episode. (upbeat music) [MUSIC PLAYING]
