Sproos, a DTC showerhead brand founded in 2020, launched a dedicated phone line staffed by employees this summer, operating Sunday through Friday. The company receives about 30 calls per day, with co-founder Benjamin Fix personally taking calls "for hours" and emphasizing the brand's goal to "differentiate [ourselves] from all those AI robots" by speaking with customers "like peers, like friends".
This shift reflects broader consumer dissatisfaction with AI-driven customer service. For commerce practitioners, the trend signals an untapped competitive advantage: as many brands cut customer service staff in favor of chatbots, those offering human support can differentiate on experience and build loyalty. The move challenges the prevailing assumption that automation is always the optimal path for scaling customer service.