I was having a chat with a client last week who was properly stressed about AI taking over her business. She runs a brilliant marketing consultancy, but everywhere she looked, she saw automation tools promising to do what she does “faster and cheaper.” It’s the same worry I’m hearing from service businesses everywhere. Sound familiar?
And that’s when it hit me – she was asking exactly the right question, just approaching it backwards.
The Real Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight
Here’s what I’ve noticed after 15+ years working with service businesses: while everyone’s rushing toward automation and AI, there’s a massive gap opening up. A gap that smart service business owners can step right into.
People are becoming more automated, but they’re also becoming more hungry for genuine human connection. When everything feels robotic, real service becomes the ultimate differentiator.
The businesses thriving right now? They’re not fighting AI – they’re using it to become more human, not less.
Why “Productised Services” Aren’t Less Service-Oriented
Let me clear up something that confuses loads of business owners. Just because you’ve packaged your expertise into a course, audit, or training programme doesn’t mean you’ve stopped being a service business.
This misconception comes from thinking that anything with a fixed price or standard format automatically becomes impersonal. But that’s missing the point entirely.
The difference between a genuine productised service and a generic product is simple: it’s still fundamentally about solving that specific client’s unique challenges. You’re not selling them a one-size-fits-all solution – you’re applying your expertise to their particular situation, just within a more structured framework.
Think about it this way – when a solicitor offers a “house purchase package” or an accountant provides “annual accounts preparation,” they’re not suddenly less service-oriented. They’re taking their professional expertise and making it more accessible and predictable for clients who need that specific type of help.
The brilliance of productising your services properly is that it actually allows you to provide better service, not worse. You can focus your time and energy on the high-value parts of what you do – the thinking, the problem-solving, the strategic advice – rather than getting bogged down in administrative tasks or constantly reinventing your process.
Service Businesses pricing anxiety
Plus, it removes all that pricing anxiety for both you and your clients. You’re not spending ages deciding what to quote and putting a bespoke package together for each enquiry. Instead, you’re creating a package you actually want to provide, and the people who resonate with it will buy it.
Take my small business health check, for example. I don’t have to quote for helping people. They can immediately see what the benefits are and buy it if they like what they see. But here’s the crucial bit…They then get a totally personalised response based on my extensive business experience. It’s not a generic checklist – it’s my professional assessment applied to their specific situation.
This approach is brilliant for clients too. No waiting weeks for a custom quote, no uncertainty about what they’ll get or what it’ll cost. They can make an informed decision quickly and get the help they need without the usual back-and-forth. Did you know, some people won’t even enquire if they have no idea of the cost. People hate not seeing prices because they want to know if they can afford to work with you. They don’t want to feel like they have been an inconvenience and caused you work if they won’t be able to buy.
Productising isn’t about removing the human element – it’s about making your human expertise available to more people without burning yourself out. And in a world where everyone’s trying to automate everything, that human expertise becomes even more valuable.
The Right Way to Automate Your Service Businesses
Here’s where it gets interesting. The businesses doing this well aren’t automating their service – they’re automating everything around their service.
One of my Top Hat clients runs a financial planning firm. Instead of automating the financial advice (heaven forbid), he automated:
- Client onboarding paperwork
- Appointment scheduling
- Document collection
- Progress tracking
- Follow-up reminders
The result? He now spends 80% of his client time actually advising, not shuffling papers. His clients feel more valued, not less, because when they’re with him, they have his complete attention.
What Real Service Looks Like in 2025
I’ve been watching the businesses that are absolutely crushing it right now, and they all share some fascinating characteristics:
They remember your name – Not just in their CRM, but genuinely. They know you’re the one with the complicated VAT situation or the daughter starting university.
They anticipate your needs – They’re not just responding to what you ask for; they’re thinking ahead to what you’ll need next.
They explain the ‘why’ – Anyone can deliver a solution. The best service businesses explain why that solution works for your specific situation.
They’re available when it matters – Not necessarily 24/7, but at the moments when you actually need them.
They admit when they don’t know something – And then they find out, rather than blustering through.
They’re flexible when situations change – If what you originally bought no longer fits your needs, they’ll adapt rather than holding you to something that’s not working. This is when you get people raving about their positive experience.
The Burnout Trap or Service Businesses (And How to Avoid It)
Now, before you start thinking this means working yourself into the ground, let me share something crucial. The biggest mistake I see service business owners make is trying to provide white-glove service manually for everything.
That’s not sustainable service – that’s a recipe for burnout.
Smart service business owners are ruthless about this:
- Automate the routine so you can focus on the exceptional
- Systematise the predictable so you can personalise the important
- Delegate the technical so you can concentrate on the strategic
I worked with a business coach who was spending hours each week manually sending progress check-ins to clients. We automated that process, but kept the responses personal. Her clients now get more consistent support, and she has time to actually coach instead of administrate. The technology is there for this you just need the right person to help you utilise it.
People Still Buy from People (Especially Now)
Here’s what the “automate everything” crowd misses…The more digital our world becomes, the more valuable human connection becomes.
Your clients aren’t just buying your expertise – they’re buying the confidence that comes from working with someone who genuinely cares about their success. They want to feel like more than just another transaction. They want to feel valued, understood, and genuinely cared for. Recent research confirms that customers increasingly value personal connection and empathy in their service experiences. In a world increasingly dominated by chatbots and automation, that kind of service isn’t just nice to have – it’s your competitive advantage.
I see this constantly. Clients will pay premium rates to work with someone who:
- Remembers their business challenges from month to month
- Checks in when they know you’re facing a deadline
- Celebrates your wins like they’re their own
- Offers honest advice even when it’s not what you want to hear
Making Service Your Competitive Advantage
So how do you actually implement this? Here’s what’s working for the businesses I work with:
Create touchpoints that matter – Not just automated email sequences, but genuine moments of connection. One client sends handwritten notes when clients hit major milestones. Old-fashioned? Absolutely. Effective? You bet.
Know your clients’ bigger picture – Don’t just solve the immediate problem. Understand how your work fits into their larger goals. This lets you provide context and advice that generic solutions can’t match.
Be proactively helpful – If you spot something that could help a client (even if it’s outside your direct scope), mention it. This builds trust and positions you as a genuine partner, not just a service provider.
Build systems that scale your care – Use technology to remember important details, track client preferences, and follow up consistently. But use that information to be more human, not less.
The Future Belongs to Human-Centred Businesses
I genuinely believe we’re entering a golden age for service businesses that get this right. While everyone else is competing on speed and price with AI, you can compete on something AI can’t replicate. A genuine care for your clients’ success.
The businesses that thrive in the next decade won’t be the ones that automate everything – they’ll be the ones that automate intelligently. So they can focus on being brilliantly, authentically human.
Your clients don’t want to feel like they’re just another ticket in your system. They want to feel valued, understood, and genuinely cared for. In a world increasingly dominated by chatbots and automation, that kind of service isn’t just nice to have – it’s your competitive advantage. You can of course use highly training chatbots now to be very authentically ‘you’. Again worth looking into but you have to get it right to be a benefit to your clients and your service businesses.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to focus on exceptional service. It’s whether you can afford not to.
Are you finding ways to bring more genuine service into your service business without burning yourself out? I’d love to hear what’s working for you – drop me a line and let’s have a chat about it.
