Relationships first, technology second

March 21, 2026 By Christopher Caywood 0 Comments

Tech stocks have tumbled recently amid fears that artificial intelligence (AI) will disrupt – if not outright disintermediate – enterprise software companies and make their platforms and the jobs at the businesses that use them obsolete. It’s an overreaction.

If there’s one theme I’ve returned to repeatedly in these pages, it’s this: Business is about relationships – human relationships. Customers stay because they trust you, and they trust you because you consistently deliver.

As I have observed before, most leave quietly when they feel ignored (some, of course, make a lot of noise when they leave – often on your social media sites!). Algorithms don’t replace trust.

AI-supported tools – when used properly – do not replace enterprise software or customer relationships. They enhance them.

AI-supported tools improve back-office workflow, tighten delivery routes and give customer service representatives real-time support while they’re on the phone with customers. Connected to one another, these tools automate routine tasks and reduce human error. Most importantly, they free up time, which is still the most expensive item on your income statement.

This is where we come to the junction of the half-empty/half-full highway. Prevailing headlines would have you believe that software companies and jobs will go away. The half-full crowd is investing that time to grow their businesses and improve meaningful human interaction with their customers and their teams.

That’s why the broader panic over AI “destroying” enterprise software and jobs misses something important. Most businesses don’t need fewer systems or fewer people (how many of you are flush with delivery drivers or service techs?). They need better-integrated systems that surface insights, reduce friction and make their people more effective. AI is increasingly being embedded within existing software platforms to achieve this, not replace them wholesale.

This makes the upcoming Southeastern & International Propane Expo in Nashville, Tennessee, especially interesting. At this point, if AI isn’t embedded in a product or service on the exhibition floor, you should ask why.

For those that do have AI embedded, keep these questions in mind:

⦁ How is AI embedded in this tool?

⦁ Does it eliminate repetitive work or merely add another layer of complexity?

⦁ Does it improve visibility into customer interactions?

⦁ Does it help my team respond faster and more efficiently?

⦁ Will it create time to strengthen relationships – or distance us from them?

In other words, remember that buzzwords don’t improve your margins. Outcomes do.

When you walk the trade show floor, look beyond flashy demos. Ask vendors how their AI features integrate into your existing workflows. Ask what problems they are actually solving. Ask how the tool measures improvements in response time, resolution quality or customer satisfaction. Most importantly, ask yourself whether the technology gives your team more time to build trust with customers, with each other and with you.

Because that remains the core issue.

AI can summarize calls. It can flag sentiment. It can automate appointment confirmations. It can surface cross-selling opportunities. It can make routes more efficient, and it can help diagnose service problems. But it cannot replace the moment when a customer or employee feels genuinely heard.

Technology has always reshaped our industry – from tank monitoring to routing optimization to mobile field service tools. Each innovation initially raised concerns about depersonalization. Yet the companies that used those tools wisely found that efficiency gains translated into better service and stronger loyalty. The same principle applies to AI.

The winners here won’t be the skeptics or the cheerleaders. They’ll be the operators.

Relationships remain the foundation of our business. AI, properly implemented, simply gives us more time to invest in them. That sounds more like evolution than disruption to me.

Christopher Caywood is a board member of Guardian Propane Partners LLC. Contact him at ccaywood@guardianpropane.com.

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