In a world increasingly designed for AI efficiency, customer belonging may become one of the most powerful drivers of retention and loyalty. Is this the future of customer experience?
For decades, organisations have invested heavily in customer loyalty programs, rewards and incentives to keep customers coming back. The assumption is simple: give customers more reasons to stay.
But recently I experienced something very different. Something that had nothing to do with points, discounts or rewards. Something that made me think about the future of customer experience in the AI era.
Last month, I started strength training at Bells Kettlebell Club; now, on paper, I shouldn’t feel particularly comfortable there. I’m a bit older than most of the members. I don’t look like most of them. That is, I’m not athletic. I’m not from their part of town, and the vibe is young & cool. And I’m neither 😉
Yet every time I walk through the door, I feel like I belong.
One evening before the men’s session started, the coach gathered everyone together. He thanked everyone for coming and spoke about his vision for the group. “Men leaving their problems at the door and working hard and honestly together to build something positive that extends beyond the gym floor.”
Then he said something that caught my attention.
“The man next to you, when we’re working through this method, you need to pick someone up. Pick them up. We’re in this together.”
The session hadn’t started. Nobody was lifting weights. Yet the most important work of the evening had already begun.
The coach wasn’t building fitness. He was building belonging.
A culture of belonging comes from leadership, shared purpose and a set of attitudes and behaviours that flow through an organisation’s DNA. It shows up in how people connect, communicate and support one another. The gym wasn’t building loyalty among customers. It was creating a community. The customers’ loyalty was the by-product.
And that’s when I started thinking about AI and customer experience.
As organisations race to deploy AI across sales, customer service, marketing and support, we are becoming incredibly good at serving customers and delivering frictionless experiences. AI can predict needs, answer questions, personalise recommendations, resolve issues and reduce effort. In many cases, it can perform these tasks faster and better than humans.
But there is one thing AI cannot do. It cannot create human connection and belonging.
Belonging emerges when people feel welcomed, included, recognised and connected to something bigger than themselves. It is built through shared experiences, shared identity and shared purpose. Customers do not only stay because of products, prices or rewards. Sometimes they stay because of how a relationship makes them feel.
This raises an interesting question. As AI creates increasingly efficient machine customers and machine-managed interactions, will customer belonging become more valuable rather than less?
Competitors can copy products. They can match prices, replicate features and launch bigger loyalty programs. But recreating a culture where people genuinely feel they belong is much harder.
Perhaps the future of customer experience is not about choosing between humans and machines. Perhaps it is understanding the role each plays. Machines can manage transactions, deliver convenience and optimise experiences. Humans create connection, meaning and belonging.
And in a world increasingly designed for AI efficiency, belonging may become one of the most powerful drivers of customer experience, retention and loyalty.
#Kudos: Bells Kettlebell Club