June 2025

More than 50% of entrepreneurs fund their companies with retirement savings, and another 20% use personal savings, according to data from Guidant Financial. Under those circumstances, every penny has to count, so you won’t be splurging on expensive software just because you think it would be nice. However, if you can get an affordable, powerful operating system designed specifically for professionals to turbocharge productivity and offer maximum security, you shouldn’t pass that up. That’s precisely what you get while Microsoft Windows 11 Pro sells for only $14.97.

Everyone from designers to developers will appreciate this operating system, but entrepreneurs who must always be effortlessly connected will be particularly happy with it. Convenience was a priority for Windows 11, and the sleekly intuitive user interface is as friendly as it gets. Yet, the advanced security features will help you sleep easier at night. You’ll get a biometrics login, encrypted authentication, advanced antivirus defense, and so much more.

Tools to increase productivity abound, from a far more robust search experience to improved voice typing, seamless redocking, snap layouts, and more. Unique features to optimize your professional tasks are found throughout the system, such as BitLocker device encryption, Windows Sandbox, Hyper-V, Azure AD, Smart App Control, TPM 2.0, Windows Studio Effects, and more.

Of course, hard-working professionals are also entitled to their downtime, and Windows 11 Pro provides unprecedented gaming features. You’ll enjoy DirectX 12 Ultimate graphics that maximize your hardware to provide amazingly realistic graphics so you can play all the latest games to their peak potential.

Features such as Widgets and Microsoft Teams are also built in. You can even ditch the mouse and keyboard because the Touchscreen function will still give you a genuine computing experience. However, the superstar in this system is Copilot, Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant. It answers questions, changes settings, opens apps, generates code suggestions and images, kicksstart your writing process, and more.

Get Microsoft Windows 11 Pro while it’s available for just $14.97.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Artificial intelligence has definitely changed how we do business, for the better in many ways. Chatbots that reply in seconds, algorithms tracking your behavior so you can instantly get what you want and automation handling routine tasks faster than any human team ever could.

But just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it feels good.

Efficiency is great, but I’ve seen too many businesses losing the human element that actually builds trust and loyalty. If your digital experience feels robotic, scripted or cold, people won’t stick around, no matter how “optimized” it is.

At some point, tech needs a heartbeat behind it. Otherwise, all you’re doing is automating disconnection.

Related: How to Scale a Marketing Strategy That Works

When automation goes too far

Yes, automation is powerful. It keeps things running. Chatbots answer questions 24/7, tools auto-schedule content and systems track customer behavior. But let’s not ignore the downside.

Sure, 51% of consumers prefer interacting with bots over humans when they want immediate service. But what if they don’t? What happens when customers get frustrated from waiting or having to repeat themselves?

Think about the entire experience. When every interaction feels automated, customers begin to question whether anyone is really paying attention. Bots can’t read the room. They can’t hear tone, detect frustration or understand nuance. So, while automation helps scale, it often kills connection if you rely on it too much.

Your chatbot can still handle basic questions, but when things get tricky, a handoff to a human rep makes all the difference. Most people aren’t expecting perfection. They’re looking for effort, care and responsiveness. When that’s missing, the tech isn’t helping — it’s hurting.

Personalization is now a necessity, not a mere desire

Personalization is now a basic expectation, but it can’t be all AI.

In 2024, Forbes surveyed over 1,000 U.S. consumers for their State of Customer Service and CX Study and found that 81% of customers prefer companies that offer a personalized experience, and they expect this personal touch across the platforms they use, not just in-store or over email.

No surprise there — it confirms what we already know about personalization. Customers want fast, relevant and thoughtful service that feels made for them. But here’s where brands get it wrong:

They use AI to automate “personalization” based on click behavior, email opens or CRM tags — and stop there. The result? Generic messages dressed up in personalization tags. “Hi [FirstName]” isn’t what people mean by thoughtful.

Yes, AI helps scale insight. But real personalization comes from real-time awareness, in those moments that can’t be predicted. Knowing that a customer just called support five minutes ago changes how you respond to their next email. This isn’t something AI alone can deliver. It takes judgment, context and care.

Let your team go off-book when it serves the customer. That’s what humanizing your strategy means: efficient, but never robotic. Because personalization shouldn’t feel predictive, it should feel considered. AI might tee it up, but humans close the loop.

Related: 5 Innovative Ways to Give Your Customers the Personalized Experiences They Want

Do what the algorithm can’t

Speed, data and automation can open the door, but connection keeps people coming back.

Ask real questions

The comments section is the closest thing you’ve got to a real-time focus group. It keeps your blind spots in check.

Ask what your customers are struggling with, what they want to see more of and what’s missing. They’ll tell you when something’s off. If you’re paying attention, you can adjust before it becomes a bigger issue.

Reward frontline feedback

Your best insights aren’t in your dashboards. Want to improve a feature? Ask the person fielding complaints about it. Want to write better copy? Talk to the person who knows the objections your customers keep bringing up.

Build a process where frontline teams can flag patterns, share feedback and influence decisions. When your team sees that their input shapes the brand, they become more invested. And when customers see that their voice actually leads to improvements, they trust you more.

Lead with your story

Sprout Social reports that for 86% of consumers, authenticity is a major factor in choosing which brands to support. That’s why storytelling — especially the messy, honest kind — builds trust faster than any email sequence ever could.

It doesn’t have to be dramatic or polished. Some of the most powerful brand moments come from raw, unscripted content: a phone-shot video, a glimpse of what went wrong behind the scenes, a quick peek at how you build your product.

The truth is, customers don’t just want to be sold to — they want to be in a relationship with the brands they buy from. Seeing real people doing real work is what turns that relationship from transactional to emotional.

Related: How Brands Can Embrace Authenticity in a World Craving Transparency

People first, always

AI is here to stay, and that’s not a bad thing. Use automation. Streamline. But remember, the brands that will truly thrive are the ones that know how to scale connection, not just automation.

The future of digital isn’t less human. It’s more intentional.

Next time you build a marketing campaign, send an email or respond to a comment, ask yourself: Does this sound human? Or just efficient?