Full Circle: Why People Still Need People
A headline that made me smile
I was in the Cayman Islands recently when the front page of the Cayman Independent stopped me in my tracks. The headline said Cayman travel agencies are riding a global wave back to human expertise. The subheading put it even more plainly. The internet was supposed to make travel agents obsolete. It did not.
It brought a smile to my face. Here is why.
What the numbers are saying
The article reported that travellers around the world are going back to professional advisers, and that this is a lasting change, not a short post-pandemic bounce.
A 2025 Internova Travel Group study of 4,000 North American travellers found 62% expected to use a travel adviser for most of their trips in 2026.
70% of those travellers said they used an adviser for their most recent international trip.
On the business side, a Global Business Travel Review found nearly 79% of corporate travel was booked through offline channels, with those bookings worth 44% more on average than online ones.
When plans are complicated, when the stakes are high, or when something goes wrong, people want a person.
Source: Cayman Independent, Friday 16 October 2026, Issue 15.
With great power comes great responsibility
Technology is awesome. I use it every day in my business, and our clients benefit from it. But in the wise words of Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, with great power comes great responsibility.
Today there is a lot of talk about data centres and guardrails for how artificial intelligence is built and used. Those conversations matter. Yet through all of it, one thing keeps winning: human interaction.
Remember the paperless office?
Computers were supposed to save trees. No more printing. That did not quite work out the way we thought.
We still print, because paper is easier to see, easier to find, and easier to gather around. We print meeting agendas. We print activity calendars. We print hymn sheets.
Before all of this, we put real thought into how to reuse things and keep communication in one central place. Somewhere along the way, we traded thoughtful for fast.
When information replaced service
Then we started taking people out of service. The idea was to push information out so people could pull what they need, when they need it.
In practice, we flood people with more information than they need or want, often just so we can say we told them. For a busy adult, that is frustrating. For a senior navigating a move, a health change, or the loss of a spouse, it can be a real barrier.
We Google everything, from what to make for dinner to how to dress for success. Search engines run much of daily life. Try booking an appointment with your own advisor at one of the big banks, and more often than not you are sent online. Phone numbers have quietly disappeared from many websites.
We have come full circle
That is why the headline made me smile. Too many organizations set aside the responsibility that comeswith all that power, and let automation stand in for care.
And people are waking up. People need people.
The companies that remember to put their paying customers at the centre of their business plan will see those clients smile, and those clients will feel valued.
Why this matters even more for seniors
At Your Senior’s Concierge, our 2026 focus is on two trends in aging: aging with support, and creating community to address loneliness.
A website cannot hold your hand while you decide what to keep from 50 years in the family home. An app cannot notice that you have not left the house in a week. A chatbot cannot sit with you and laugh about the story behind the dishes in the china cabinet.
Downsizing, relocating, or clearing out a loved one’s estate is rarely just a logistics project. It is an emotional one, and it deserves a real person.
How we do it at YSC
Our approach is the kind of service many people remember from “the good old days.” A real person answers the phone. We keep our word. We notice the little things. We go the extra step without being asked.
We also use the conveniences of today’s world, so the process feels simpler, not colder. Old school service with modern tools: that is the balance we work toward every day, guided by our values of creativity, respect, empathy, simplicity and timeliness.
Our mission is to resolve problems, remove barriers and provide a safe, friendly environment that empowers seniors.
A small challenge for today
So here is my challenge. Today, instead of sending that automated request to your client, pick up the phone and call them. Ask how they are doing, and listen to the answer.
I guarantee you will be energized by the result. And so will they.
If you, a parent, or someone you care about is facing a move, a downsize, or an estate clear-out in Calgary, give us a call. A real person will answer.
Lisa Maragh, Owner, Your Senior’s Concierge