Human vs AI: The Customer Service Edge Small Businesses Can't Ignore With Jessica Volker

from Small Business Stories · host Loralyn Mears

S5:E37 Small business owners: your phone experience is part of your brand. In this episode, Jessica Volker (Business Development Director at Responsive Answering Service) sits down with Dr. LL and breaks down why "scripted and offshore" support is driving customers crazy. She shares how human-first answering, smart automation, and better processes can protect your reputation and capture more leads. Top takeaways and timestamps: ⏱️3:56 — Why overly scripted customer service destroys trust (and how to sound human again) ⏱️5:36 — The answering service evolution: from "take a message" to virtual receptionist + CRM/EHR updates ⏱️7:28 — AI in customer service: where it helps (wrap-up tasks) and where humans still win ⏱️12:33 — Work-life reality: how flexibility creates better employees (and better outcomes) ⏱️20:53 — What's coming in 2026: expanded omnichannel support (social, email, text, scheduling, integrations) Follow us on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Midlifesuccess Instagram: https://instagram.com/steerus Facebook: https://facebook.com/steerus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/steerus TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@steerus #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneur #CustomerService #CustomerExperience #AnsweringService #smallbizstories

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This episode was published on December 17, 2025.

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