Hospitality entrepreneur Javier Burillo Azcárraga is warning business leaders that the relentless pursuit of efficiency is eroding the human judgment that customers value most. In an era where companies rush to adopt artificial intelligence, self-service tools, and automated support to speed up interactions, Burillo Azcárraga claims many organizations are inadvertently removing the decision-making authority that creates memorable customer experiences.
"Technology should remove routine work, not remove the people who know how to make good decisions," Burillo Azcárraga said. "Customers don't remember the fastest interaction. They remember whether someone took ownership of the problem and made them feel like it mattered." His comments come as businesses across industries expand their use of automation, often measuring success by response times and cost reductions rather than whether customers feel heard or understood.
The distinction between speed and quality is critical. According to a FICO report, 88% of customers say the experience is just as important as products or services. For Burillo Azcárraga, that statistic highlights a growing challenge: companies are adept at measuring operational efficiency but fail to gauge whether customers feel respected and valued.
Drawing from his career leading luxury hospitality businesses, including Las Ventanas al Paraíso, Burillo Azcárraga observed that memorable experiences rarely stem from expensive amenities or rigid service standards. Instead, they are created by employees empowered to solve problems and make thoughtful decisions that no script can anticipate. "Every customer is a little different," he said. "The best employees aren't successful because they memorize procedures. They're successful because they know when to use good judgment. That's something every business should protect."
Burillo Azcárraga believes that confusing standardization with quality is a major risk. While standardized processes create consistency, they should not eliminate flexibility. When employees lose the ability to make reasonable decisions, customer service becomes predictable in the wrong way: problems take longer to resolve, unique situations receive generic answers, and customers feel they interacted with a system, not a business.
He urges leaders to evaluate new technology not solely by its efficiency gains but by whether it gives employees more time to solve meaningful problems, strengthens relationships, and builds long-term trust. "The goal shouldn't be replacing people," Burillo Azcárraga added. "The goal should be giving people more opportunities to do the work that only people can do."
As companies continue investing in automation and AI, Burillo Azcárraga hopes more business leaders will recognize that technology and personal service are complementary, not competing priorities. Automation can remove repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on moments that have the greatest impact on customer relationships. "The businesses that earn loyalty are usually the ones where employees still have permission to think," he said. "Customers appreciate efficiency, but they remember businesses that show good judgment when it matters most."
