Would Your Customers Rather Be A Name or a Number?Ā Whether You Are Running A Business, A Team, or A Register.
Jun 12, 2026
Written By Bart Berkey | Founder of Most People Don't
I walked into a coffee shop yesterday, gave them my name, and watched them ignore it the entire time I was there.
When I came through the door, a chime went off, and a chorus of employees said "welcome in," "welcome in" "welcome in," without a single one looking up.
They were looking at the pastries, the microwave, the coffee beans, the order screen, anywhere except at the humans walking in the door. Their checklist of tasks had clearly been trained into them. The eye contact had not.
I walked up to the counter to order. I asked for a 'large' coffee in a way that was apparently not their proper way, and the person at the register quickly corrected me on their name for the large coffee.
Then, I ordered my wife's americano with steamed whole milk and a touch of whipped cream, plus cinnamon on top. They asked for a name, and I told them Bart, then changed it to Happy on a whim.
They wrote "Happy" on the cup, then flipped the screen toward me almost before I had finished my order, waiting silently to see if I would add anything to the gratuity line.
A few minutes later, my drink was ready.
Instead of saying, "Bart, your coffee is ready" or "Happy, your coffee is ready," the barista picked up the cup and read off the ingredients.
"Who had the americano with a splash of whole milk, whipped cream, and cinnamon on top?"
I stood there a moment. They had my name. They had written it down. They never used it.
That is what being processed feels like. Not rude. Just unnoticed.
Every part of the interaction was technically correct.
They greeted me when I walked in, took my order without missing the size, flipped the screen for my tip, and had my drink ready when they said they would.
But not one of those moments felt like it was about me. Each one was a checklist completion instead of a human moment.
That is the difference between being processed and being cared for, and it is the gap that HUMANALITY is built to close.
HUMANALITY is the practice of making someone feel valued, cared for, seen, and heard - in a world that has gotten increasingly transactional and processed.
Two ways to close that gap in your own world this week, whether you are running a business, a team, or a register. Isn't it better to serve than to scan people?
First, train your team to look people in the eye when speaking to them. This single act, eye contact, separates a processed greeting from a real one. If the chime goes off and someone says "welcome" without looking up, ironically, the team member successfully completed one of the task in their checklist, however, they failed to emotionally complete it. This is a valuable training opportunity to improve customer loyalty and retention.
Eye contact first, then speak. The order matters.
Second, when someone gives a you their name, it should be used. This sounds obvious, until you start paying attention to how often it doesn't happen.
Names are free. They are the cheapest way of making people feel seen. If a customer hands you their name, hand it back to them the next time you have a chance to use it. "Bart, your coffee is ready" is way more personal than "Who had the americano?"
So here is the question I am sitting with this week, and I will leave it with you:
Where in your business today, is your team merely going through their checklist of tasks? Today, start training your team to feel valued, cared for, seen, and heard. That's HUMANALITY.
Most People Don't. But You DO!
- Bart
