Javier Burillo Azcárraga, a hospitality entrepreneur and business leader, is warning that companies focused on efficiency and automation are inadvertently removing the human judgment that customers value most. In a statement released Tuesday, Burillo Azcárraga said that while technology can improve routine interactions, it should not replace the decision-making abilities of employees.
“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 increasingly adopt artificial intelligence, self-service tools, and automated support to reduce costs and speed up processes. According to a FICO report, 88% of customers say the experience is just as important as products or services. Burillo Azcárraga believes this statistic highlights a growing challenge: companies measure response times and operational efficiency but rarely assess whether customers feel heard or respected.
Throughout his career leading luxury hospitality businesses, including Las Ventanas al Paraíso, Burillo Azcárraga found that memorable experiences often stem from employees who have the authority to solve problems and respond to situations 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 cautions against confusing standardization with quality. Standardized processes create consistency, but they should not eliminate flexibility. When employees lose the ability to make reasonable decisions, customer service becomes predictable in the wrong way, leading to longer resolution times and generic answers. He also advises against evaluating new technology solely on efficiency gains. Instead, leaders should ask whether it gives employees more time to solve meaningful problems, strengthens relationships, and builds long-term trust.
“The businesses that earn loyalty are usually the ones where employees still have permission to think,” Burillo Azcárraga said. “Customers appreciate efficiency, but they remember businesses that show good judgment when it matters most.”
As investments in automation and AI continue, Burillo Azcárraga hopes more leaders recognize that technology and personal service are not competing priorities. When used thoughtfully, automation can remove repetitive work while allowing employees to focus on high-impact moments. “The goal shouldn’t be replacing people,” he added. “The goal should be giving people more opportunities to do the work that only people can do.”
