There are a lot of wonderful things about AI. There are also a lot of scary things. One of the scary things that doesn’t get much attention is the change in customer expectations.
People now believe you can do more than you actually can.
I see it all over the place. “Why can’t they just ….”
Everyone knows AI exists. They probably have a wrong-headed idea of what it is, what it does, and how easy it is to implement … but that’s your problem, not theirs. They assume you’re using it and that it does incredible things.
Your customers believe you have access to powerful, magical tools that can anticipate their needs, personalize their experience, and solve their problems instantly. When you fall short, it’s not just a disappointment. It’s a hit to your credibility.
The Myth of the Magic Machine
Picture someone visiting your website. The visitor wants to make a purchase, find a past order, get a refund, or just look up some content they saw last week. But the interface is clunky. The chatbot is dumb. The search doesn’t work well. Maybe your backend system is old and your fulfillment process is slow. You make excuses for all this because you know the back-end limitations. Your potential customer doesn’t care.
In their mind, you should be able to do all sorts of whiz-bang things. After all, you have AI. Right?
This mismatch between reality and expectations is a real business risk.
What Can You Do?
- Audit the website experience like a customer who believes in magic. Go through your website and e-store experience with fresh eyes. Pretend you believe everything you’ve heard about AI’s potential. What would you expect to happen?
- Identify the gaps. Some of those magical experiences are achievable. Others aren’t. But if you know where the gaps are, you can decide whether to close them or manage around them.
- Fake it (if you have to). If you can’t meet the expectation, can you make it feel like you did? Sometimes the illusion of smartness is enough to keep customers satisfied. A good interface and some clever automation can go a long way.
- Communicate clearly. If something takes time, say so. If you’re working on improvements, share your roadmap. People are more forgiving when they feel like they’re in the loop.
It’s a New Frontier
AI has raised the bar, whether you like it or not. You may not be able to leap over it, but you’d better find a way to not trip over it.
If you need help bridging the gap between expectation and reality, especially when it comes to customer data, personalization, or digital storefronts, give me a call. I help organizations deal with exactly these kinds of challenges.
Learn to look at your site the way your customers do, and try to make a little magic.
