In today’s fast-paced digital world, finding the sweet spot between automation and personal connection can be a game-changer for customer engagement. In this article, marketing leaders and CEOs share their proven strategies for achieving this delicate balance. From automating routine processes to personalizing key touchpoints, the insights begin by highlighting the importance of efficiency without sacrificing authenticity. The final expert recommendation underscores the critical role of human oversight in preserving quality interactions. With sixteen expert insights, this piece offers actionable strategies to help you streamline your customer engagement efforts while maintaining that irreplaceable human touch.
- Automate Basics, Personalize Key Touchpoints
- Automated Onboarding, Personalized Follow-Up
- Use The 70-30 Rule
- Automate Basics, Add Personal Touches
- Two-Way Texting Balances Automation And Personalization
- Leverage AI For Efficiency, Add Human Touch
- Smart Automation Enhances Human Interaction
- Segmentation Empowers Personalized Automation
- Thoughtful Segmentation Maximizes Engagement
- Selective Automation Maintains Human Connection
- Automate Processes, Personalize Interactions
- Voice Notes Blend Automation And Personalization
- AI Automates Tasks, Humans Craft Content
- Dynamic Segmentation Combines Efficiency And Personalization
- Hybrid Email Automation Boosts Engagement
- AI Handles Tasks, Human Review Ensures Quality
Automate Basics, Personalize Key Touchpoints
In running ROL Campgrounds, I’ve found my sweet spot by automating the basics while keeping key touchpoints personal. Our booking confirmations are automated, but I added a custom note highlighting activities that match each guest’s interests they shared during booking. For example, when a family mentions they’re bringing kids, we’ll include insider tips about our best trails for young hikers. This hybrid approach saves us time while still making each guest feel especially welcome. The extra two minutes per booking has led to noticeably warmer guest reviews and more repeat visitors.
Alex Burkett
Gm of Hospitality, ROL Campgrounds
Automated Onboarding, Personalized Follow-Up
Automated onboarding, but personalized follow-up. After customers get the first few welcome emails with generic steps to make the most of the product, I send them an email based on their preferences. For example, if they’re an agency, they get a breakdown of bulk management features.
Then, if they meet the Ideal Customer Persona criteria, I personally reach out with resources I think they’d find valuable and offer to book a consultation call with them. During the call, we go over their challenges and create a personalized success plan.
This combination keeps me focused on the area where I can provide most value (personalized consultations due to my experience) while automation handles the initial steps and qualification.
Lana Rafaela Cindric
SEO & Content Manager, SiteGuru
Use The 70-30 Rule
Think of it as the 70-30 rule—using automation for 70% of routine tasks while keeping 30% focused on genuine human connection.
Let’s see this in action: Imagine a birthday campaign for an online fashion boutique. Your automated system handles personalized birthday emails and product recommendations based on purchase history (the 70%). The magic happens when human touch (30%) comes in: for VIP customers, your team writes personal notes and makes recommendations based on real conversations (“Hey Sarah, remember discussing those winter boots? I found something perfect…”).
Success emerges when these approaches work together. When analytics show declining engagement, instead of another automated email, your team makes personal contact. This strategy typically yields 40% faster response times, 25% higher customer satisfaction, and 35% more efficient campaigns. The real win? When customers can’t distinguish between automated and personal touches.
Use automation for repetitive tasks (purchase tracking, order confirmations, social media scheduling) and save human energy for meaningful moments (complex issues, relationship building).
Think of it as communication layers: automated systems as early warning, human insight driving response—especially for sensitive situations. Your systems monitor feedback channels, recognizing patterns that signal dissatisfaction (multiple tickets, negative social media sentiment).
When issues arise, trained team members step in to:
- Review situation context
- Make personal contact quickly
- Develop custom solutions
- Ensure satisfaction through follow-up
- Document learnings
Example: When sentiment analysis detects frustration about a delayed order, a team member calls directly: “Hi Sarah, I’m Michael. I understand your frustration, and I’d like to explain our resolution plan…”
Key protocols include:
- Criteria for human intervention
- Crisis decision authority
- Case documentation
- Follow-up procedures
This hybrid approach ensures no dissatisfied customer gets overlooked while maintaining crucial human connection when it matters most.
Avril Jones
President, ME&C
Automate Basics, Add Personal Touches
Balancing automation and personalization in marketing is like setting the stage for a genuine connection with customers. Automation can handle the basics—say, welcoming a new customer like Alex with a friendly, “Hi, Alex! So glad you found us! Here’s a 10% discount for your first purchase.” This initial engagement feels personalized but is fully automated, keeping it efficient.
When Alex interacts with these automated messages—maybe a reminder about that discount or a follow-up after a purchase-you’re building a rapport without needing manual effort. Then, after Alex becomes a regular, it’s the perfect time for a personal touch. A quick, genuine follow-up like, “Hey Alex, we’d love your feedback on our products!” makes Alex feel seen and valued.
This approach lets automation handle the foundational touches while you step in for meaningful, direct connections. It’s efficient, personable, and keeps customers engaged authentically.
Jelena Smiljkovic
Web Developer, Automatio
Two-Way Texting Balances Automation And Personalization
Two-way texting combines automated messaging with personal interaction, providing an excellent balance between technology and human touch. Automated SMS campaigns can deliver timely updates, promotions, or reminders to customers. By integrating live agent follow-ups, the automation feels less robotic and more engaging. Live agents who follow up can answer questions, gather feedback, or offer additional assistance, creating a conversational loop that’s both efficient and personable. This approach respects the customer’s time while also offering them a human connection, often making customers feel valued and more connected to the brand.
Implementing sentiment analysis technology into the messaging process enhances the customer experience further. Using AI-driven software, businesses can assess the emotional tone of a customer’s responses. If a message appears negative or frustrated, the system can instantly alert a live agent to step in. When a happy tone is detected, personalized recommendations or thank-yous can be sent to reinforce positive feelings. This real-time adaptability ensures that the outreach is sensitive to the customer’s current state, offering a seamlessly personalized interaction.
Jean Chen
COO & CHRO, Mondressy
Leverage AI For Efficiency, Add Human Touch
Balancing automation with a personal touch comes down to using tools to save time without losing the human element. For blogging, I’ve used AI tools like ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, draft outlines, and even knock out rough drafts. It’s a massive time-saver, especially when managing a high content volume.
But here’s the key: the real value comes in the human touch. For law firms, that means tweaking the tone to match their professionalism, adding specific examples or legal scenarios, and addressing the exact questions their clients are searching for. One strategy I’ve found works well is using AI to handle the heavy lifting in research and structure, then focusing my time on crafting intros, weaving in personal insights, and making the content unique to the brand.
The result? We can scale content production efficiently without it ever feeling cookie-cutter. It’s about leveraging automation as a tool-not a replacement for what makes your content stand out.
Kyle Morris
CEO / Founder, LawTurbo
Smart Automation Enhances Human Interaction
Not every process needs automation. Finding the right balance between automation and a human touch requires careful strategy. I help B2B teams maximize their marketing technology by identifying which tactics to use and where automation can add value without sacrificing personal connection.
In email marketing, automation is powerful but can feel impersonal, especially when poor data creates disjointed experiences. Sharing an email address is like a handshake-a sign of interest and the start of a relationship. What happens next is crucial. A well-timed welcome email or thoughtfully crafted series can build trust and provide meaningful, personalized touch points.
Automation in event marketing can significantly enhance networking efforts. Scanning a QR code instantly captures contact details, triggers timely follow-up emails, and integrates with calendars to schedule demos or post-event meetings. By incorporating tracking and logic, you gain valuable insights that go beyond what a traditional business card exchange could provide.
By combining smart technology with genuine connection, you can scale efforts while creating experiences that feel meaningful and personal.
Danielle Cambio
Marketing Technology Manager, GO Agency
Segmentation Empowers Personalized Automation
Balancing automated marketing with a personalized, human touch is about smartly integrating automation that enhances, rather than replaces, meaningful engagement. For example, I use segmentation to tailor messages to specific audience groups based on interests, behavior, or demographics. By setting up automated workflows, I can ensure that each customer receives relevant, personalized content without overwhelming my team.
One strategy I use is dynamic content blocks within emails, which allow for automated customization. For instance, a fitness client might receive an email tailored to their preferred workout style—yoga enthusiasts might get articles on flexibility tips, while strength trainers receive updates on weightlifting equipment. This approach combines automation with personalization, creating a seamless experience that feels genuinely relevant.
The key is finding ways for automation to empower personalization. This way, we can scale our outreach while ensuring every message resonates on a more individual level.
Divya Ghughatyal
Digital Marketing Consultant, Gleantap
Thoughtful Segmentation Maximizes Engagement
A key component of successful automated marketing is ensuring your segmentation is clean and used thoughtfully. For example, in our executive search business, we create different email lists based on the specific industries our prospects have shown interest in, such as commodities or technology, by tracking the pages they’ve visited on our website.
Additionally, we track where they are in the customer journey—whether they’re in the awareness, consideration, hiring, or post-hire stage. By sending tailored emails that align with their interests and stage in the process, we ensure that the content and recommendations we provide are highly relevant and timely to maximize engagement and conversion.
It’s also important to be authentic in your communication—sending emails from fake accounts could damage your brand’s credibility once customers realize they don’t exist.
Trendy Tan
Marketing Lead, Kepler Search
Selective Automation Maintains Human Connection
We keep automated messaging to a minimum, using it only for essential updates and reminders, while reserving personalized communication for more in-depth interactions. This ensures that our clients feel valued as individuals rather than numbers in a system. By being selective in our automation, we keep our brand’s voice human and approachable.
In a recent PPC campaign, we used automated reports to update clients on performance metrics in real-time, while our team provided monthly video check-ins discussing strategies and goals. This way, clients receive timely updates but also benefit from in-depth, human explanations of how their campaigns are progressing. This strategy has reinforced our transparency and strengthened client relationships.
Jason Hennessey
CEO, Hennessey Digital
Automate Processes, Personalize Interactions
With email marketing, most processes can be automated however, personalization/segmentation is key. Nowadays there is so much data you can collect around your customer like website behavior, purchase behavior, and interests. Examples of touch points that are automated but also extremely personalized: Birthday/Anniversary, Post-purchase thank you, Product Interest Upsells, etc. Although you can make your life easier with all these automations, customer support inquiries should always be followed up with human interaction.
A perfect example: Let’s say you’re a skincare brand.
- Your email sign up form collects data on the customers skin concerns so you already have this data .
- They then are put through a welcome series that gives them more information about the brand and tailored content towards their skin concerns.
- You are launching a new product for dry skin. You segment your list to send a campaign to customers whose skin concern is dry skin. You don’t send this to customers who have oily skin because that is not a personalized recommendation for them.
- Dry skin customers purchase the product, you then put them through an automated post-purchase series with the goal of repurchasing/upselling products based on their skin concern and past purchases.
Amy Hage
Co-Founder, Strategy Maven Agency
Voice Notes Blend Automation And Personalization
Finding the right balance between automation and personal connection in marketing is crucial. Automation can simplify processes, but personalization keeps interactions meaningful. Integrating voice notes into email or SMS campaigns offers a way to blend these elements effectively. Voice notes deliver a sense of authenticity and warmth, making the customer feel valued. When a potential client receives a voice message, it stands out from the standard text-based communication, creating a memorable impression. This approach taps into the power of human voice inflections, emotions, and nuances that can’t be replicated in writing alone.
Consider using voice notes to follow up after a significant interaction, like a consultation or a major purchase. These short recordings can include personalized thank-yous, helpful tips, or a summary of the next steps, tailored to the client’s needs. A practical tip for implementing this is to use simple tools or apps designed for recording and embedding audio into emails. This integration should be seamless and straightforward; the client should be able to listen with just one click. Making it easy enhances their experience and ensures your message is heard. Voice notes not only foster trust but can also boost engagement rates, encouraging recipients to respond more willingly.
Casey Meraz
CEO, Juris Digital
AI Automates Tasks, Humans Craft Content
Authenticity is key to contemporary marketing. Especially now that people have become more aware of AI and can easily tell human input and AI-generated content apart. That’s why we use AI to automate technical tasks. For instance, it analyzes user data for us, so that we can speed up the segmentation process and further personalize our approach to each of the segments. At the same time, to create actual content for our campaigns, be it emails or social media posts, we only use AI at the ideation stage.
That’s because, as I mentioned, people can notice AI-generated content from a mile away and nowadays audiences value real stories and human language. That’s why we craft content ourselves since this is the only way we can make sure it will resonate with people. Additionally, although we’ve automated outreach, we reach out to our customers personally if there’s a need for follow-up.
Ruslan Halilov
CMO at Bluedothq, BluedotHQ
Dynamic Segmentation Combines Efficiency And Personalization
At our agency, we prioritise finding the right balance between automation and personalisation in our digital marketing approach. We believe that these two elements should work together to create a seamless and engaging customer journey. One effective strategy we implement for our clients is “dynamic segmentation” within their automated workflows. This strategy allows us to combine efficiency with targeted, human-centred engagement.
Here’s how it works: We use data insights to continuously update audience segments based on customer behaviours, preferences, and purchase history. For instance, in a B2B campaign, we monitor how users interact with different types of content-such as industry insights, product demos, or customer success stories. Our automated workflows adjust in real-time to deliver content that resonates with each unique segment.
Next, we introduce a layer of personalisation. Our clients can schedule “touchpoint moments,” in which a real team member, such as a sales representative or customer success manager, reaches out with tailored recommendations or offers. For example, if a prospect engages with multiple content pieces related to a specific product, we set up a personalised email or LinkedIn message from a sales lead. This message references the content they’ve viewed and offers a consultation or demo.
By blending data-driven automation with strategic personal engagement, we help our clients create a responsive and relevant customer experience while maintaining the efficiency needed for scaling their efforts. This approach has proven particularly effective in enhancing lead nurturing processes, allowing our clients to deepen relationships with prospects and drive higher conversion rates.
Adam Barraud
Account Manager, Growthlabs
Hybrid Email Automation Boosts Engagement
One of the ways we’re tackling it is creating a hybrid of automated and personalized email automations. We send out automated emails for critical tasks. When a client starts to dip in engagement or not following through the sales process, we have a notification to reach out to the lead personally to help understand their objections/fears and address any concerns. This led to significantly higher conversion rates while still maintaining an automated flow.
Jenna Newton
Director of Marketing + Communications, Data-Sleek
AI Handles Tasks, Human Review Ensures Quality
AI can handle the heavy lifting, but I keep myself firmly in the loop. The secret is writing custom prompts that capture your unique voice and expertise—with good prompt engineering, AI can genuinely mimic your writing style. But I never let anything go out without human review. Double-checking every output before it reaches customers means you get the efficiency of automation while maintaining quality control. Fully automated rarely means fully reliable.
Vincent Schmalbach
Web Developer, AI Engineer & SEO Expert, Vincent Schmalbach
