Human Service
The Skills AI Can’t Replace
This is a book about humans.
AI only did two things. First, it suggested the subtitle: “The Skills AI Can’t Replace.” That seemed fitting.
Second, AI created the sample book cover you see on this page. It’s predictably terrible. A real book cover, created by a real human, is coming soon.
Release date: March 9, 2026
“If you are trying to thoughtfully balance automation and AI without losing the human touch, this is your playbook. It shows how these tools can free a team to lean into being an authentic human at the right moments to win trust and create lasting impact.”
Jennifer Gilmore
CEO, Kitchens for Good
What People Are Saying
“Human Service bursts with refreshingly creative and compelling customer service concepts—illustrated via “spot-on” stories of service failures and successes. True to form, Jeff Toister reminds us again why he is one of our industry’s most respected, relatable and human thought leaders.”
Bruce Belfiore
CEO & Senior Research Executive, BenchmarkPortal
"Human Service is an excellent book describing how much difference properly trained, empowered and motivated people make in your company’s customer experience. The impactful stories and strategies Jeff lays out will dramatically improve your customer experience if you implement them."
David Hackler
Former Vice President, HSBC Bank
About the Book
Artificial intelligence is transforming customer service. But customers still need humans when systems fail, emotions are involved, or judgment is required.
Human Service reveals how employees can create value that AI can't match. It explores three essential customer service skills—connection, understanding, and advocacy—that grow revenue, improve efficiency, and earn loyalty.
You'll also learn how leading organizations combine smart automation with helpful employees to gain a competitive advantage. Through real-world stories, practical examples, and cautionary tales, Human Service shows what happens when companies rely too much on technology and what’s possible when you get the balance right.
Human Service is your guide to standing out in the age of AI.
Key Takeaways
What humans do better than AI
When employees make the biggest difference
How to build and scale these skills
“Jeff is my go-to in Customer Service. I'm not surprised I love this book. He has a way of making it fun and easy to understand and improve Customer Service.”
Angelina Bisch
Training Specialist, University of Tennessee Knoxville
More Praise
““Human Service is a fun, thought-provoking read that gets to the heart of what customer service should be, and Jeff’s stories make it easy and genuinely enjoyable to read. The analysis and breakdowns of each scenario are thoughtful, practical, and immediately applicable to my own customer service environment, offering concrete ideas for how we can deliver a world-class experience.”
Chuck Rose
Director, Enterprise Service Desk, UC San Diego
“The book was inspiring, insightful, and truly valuable for anyone in the customer service field. The human service examples were so relatable that I could picture myself right there in each situation.”
Tina Frasco-Michaels
Sr. Director Customer Service, Aspire Bakeries
About the Author
Jeff Toister's first customer service interaction ended in a service failure.
Vowing to learn from that experience, he became obsessed with customer service. He worked in customer service, became a trainer, worked in management, got into consulting, and gathered tons of data long the way.
Today, he is the bestselling author of five books, including Human Service: The Skills AI Can’t Replace. More than 5 million people have taken one of his training programs on LinkedIn Learning and he is ranked as one of the top 30 customer experience professionals in the world by Global Gurus.
More Love for Human Service
“This brilliant book captures why authentic human connection and emotional intelligence are not just relevant, but essential, in an increasingly automated world. It moves beyond the fear of technology to provide practical strategies for elevating skills that AI simply cannot replicate, making this resource indispensable!”
Summer Page
LPN, CCC Staff Development, Martha Franks Retirement Community
“Human Service is an easy and practical read that helped me reflect on my interactions with others and the importance of the human element in our work. As a supervisor who encourages sharing of authentic experiences and building relationships, I see Jeff’s insights as valuable conversation starters with my team.”
Tami Tassler
Associate Director of Admissions, Florida Gulf Coast University
“This book isn’t anti-AI. It’s pro-human, in the most practical, grounded way. If you lead people, design experiences, or care about doing work that actually feels good to the people you serve, this book will sharpen how you think and how you lead.”
Emily Swanson
CMO & COO, Semmax Financial Group
Sample Chapter
Preview the first chapter.
“Jeff understands that while technology and AI are changing the landscape, the heart of service remains uniquely human. This book is an essential guide for leaders who want to unlock their team's full potential and for employees who want to bring their best, most human selves to work every day.”
Gary Weitzman
President and CEO, San Diego Humane Society
More Happy Readers
“Jeff’s approach to the Human service vs. AI partnership is an excellent guide for customer service professionals. The book has an easy, simple to follow layout filled with useful and often humorous real-life examples of how to put Jeff’s strategies to use.”
Heather Schwantner
Customer Support Team Manager, Weber Industries INC
“In his book, Jeff shares real life customer service encounters, both good and bad. He also shares exercises that can help improve your customer service skills. This book is very well written and a must read for anyone who is in the customer service industry.”
Berlinda Delgado
Loan Servicing Manager, Homewise, Inc.
“I love the book! It contained customer service examples both good and bad that often made me laugh. The research shared and the suggested techniques were informative as well as inspiring. It was an enjoyable book with much common sense, that doesn’t seem to be as common anymore!”
Cathy Maher-Hermsen
Customer Service Retail Supervisor, Halex Co.