Some will not survive their customers abandoning them. Think about the typical automated voice response on a customer service line. Imagine that becoming far more pervasive. And it slowing you down and becoming a barrier while you desperately try to get help with your insurance claim or mortgage or whatever. It’ll be absolutely awful and companies that built trustworthy services with humans who pick up the phone will stand out even more easily. Or that’s what I hope.
Yes, the majority of business will be conducted with large corporations that offer completely enshittified customer service. Whenever a user has a bad experience with one, they will switch to another.
However, there will be a selection of smaller firms, offering a more human touch, which will manage to survive just by virtue of above average customer retention. As these businesses continue to succeed and grow they will enshittify their own processes until they are indistinguishable from the incumbents.
