How will customers decide which decisions to hand over to AI?

As AI agents move to the front of the customer journey, brands are no longer competing for attention. They're competing for selection. And in many cases, they don't even realize they're being bypassed.

This conversation goes beyond tools and technology to examine the psychology of decision-making, trust, empathy, and what happens when AI becomes the primary decision-maker on behalf of customers.

🔑 What We Explore in This Episode

• Why AI isn't replacing people—it's replacing decision effort

• How customers decide which decisions they're willing to give up

• The difference between commodity, complex, and high-risk decisions

• Why behavioral segmentation matters more than demographics

• How AI can demonstrate empathy—and why that challenges long-held CX beliefs

• What it means for organizations when AI mediates the experience instead of them

💬 Best Quote from the Episode

"Once AI becomes the primary interface, organizations stop competing for attention and start competing for selection."

— Colin Shaw

Key Questions Discussed

• Which customer decisions in your business are already being outsourced to AI—whether you like it or not?

• As customers trust AI with simple decisions, how far up the decision ladder will that trust extend?

• If AI becomes the most trusted voice in the journey, what role does your brand actually play?

Why You Should Listen

If you're still thinking about AI as a tool your organization uses—rather than a force your customers are using—you're already behind.

This episode will help you rethink:

• Where AI fits in the customer decision process

• Why "human touch" alone is no longer a defensible strategy

• What leaders must do now to avoid being sleepwalked into commoditization

Resources Mentioned

Colin Shaw - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinrjshaw/

Professor Ryan Hamilton - http://linkedin.com/in/ryan-hamilton-49b3321

About the Hosts:

Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 286,000 followers and 87,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience. Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn.

Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book launch in June 2025 called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

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What does customer experience look like when AI starts acting on behalf of the customer?

As AI agents increasingly understand customer context, remember past behavior, and reduce friction, they begin to insert themselves between companies and customers.

That shift has major implications for CX, branding, differentiation, and how organizations stay relevant when customers stop visiting websites, apps, and even stores.

This conversation focuses entirely on the customer's perspective, not internal AI efficiency. It's about what happens when customers trust AI agents to search, filter, recommend — and sometimes even buy for them.

Best Quote from the Episode

"When your customer experience isn't good enough, you get replaced by something that is."

— Colin Shaw

Key Questions Discussed

• What happens to customer experience when AI starts making decisions for customers instead of customers interacting directly with companies?

• If AI becomes the primary filter of choice, how do brands stay visible — and avoid becoming invisible?

• Which parts of today's customer journey are most at risk of disappearing altogether?

Why You Should Listen

If you're responsible for customer experience, strategy, marketing, or growth, this episode challenges some deeply held assumptions about how customers discover, evaluate, and choose brands.

Rather than focusing on internal AI use cases, this conversation looks outward — at how customer behavior is shifting and what that means for organizations that want to remain visible, relevant, and chosen in an AI-first world.

This episode doesn't give you a checklist. It gives you something more valuable:

a new way of thinking about where CX is heading — and why waiting is risky.

Resources Mentioned

Colin Shaw - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinrjshaw/

Professor Ryan Hamilton - http://linkedin.com/in/ryan-hamilton-49b3321

About the Hosts:

Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 286,000 followers and 87,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience. Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn.

Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book launch in June 2025 called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

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How are you really using AI — and how does that compare to others?

In this episode, Colin Shaw introduces a simple behavioural framework for understanding how people are actually using AI today — not in theory, but in practice — and why this matters enormously for the future of Customer Experience.

Rather than treating AI as a technology maturity model, Colin reframes it as a behavioural curve, shaped by confidence, trust, intent, and the consequences of being wrong.

Drawing on real usage examples, ChatGPT analytics, and current research, Colin outlines four AI usage patterns that people tend to move through over time. Most people touch more than one. Very few stay in just one forever.

The episode challenges listeners to ask:

• Where am I on this curve?

• Where are my customers today?

• And where will they be in 3–5 years?

This is Part One of a new AI series exploring the implications of changing customer behaviour — and what organisations should be doing now to prepare.

"This isn't a technology maturity model. It's a behavioural one. People don't adopt AI in a single way — they move through patterns depending on trust, confidence, and what's at stake."

Colin Shaw, Founder & CEO, Beyond Philosophy

If you're:

• wondering how AI will really change Customer Experience

• unsure whether your organisation is preparing for the right future

• or trying to understand how customer decision-making is evolving

…this episode gives you a clear, practical way to think about AI adoption — grounded in behaviour, not hype.

Resources Mentioned

Colin Shaw - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinrjshaw/

Professor Ryan Hamilton - http://linkedin.com/in/ryan-hamilton-49b3321

About the Hosts:

Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 284,000 followers and 87,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 2% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience, Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn.

Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book launch in June 2025 called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

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Customer satisfaction has barely moved in over 30 years — despite enormous investment in Customer Experience.

In this episode of The Intuitive Customer, Professor Ryan Hamilton and Morgan Ward speak with Forrest Morgeson from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

ACSI has tracked customer satisfaction continuously since 1994 using the same questions and methodology across the entire US economy. And the long-term data tells a story that challenges many comfortable CX assumptions.

Rather than steadily improving as CX practices mature, customer satisfaction rises and falls in cycles — heavily influenced by pricing, profitability, cost-cutting, and broader economic forces.

This episode explores why satisfaction scores stagnate, why record profits often coincide with declining customer satisfaction, and why CX leaders need to think beyond journey maps and empathy training.

Best Quote from the Episode

"Customer satisfaction isn't a straight line. It moves in cycles — and when companies start squeezing for profit, customers feel it."

Forrest Morgeson, American Custoimer Satisfaction Index

Why You Should Listen?

If you work in customer experience, marketing, or leadership, this episode will challenge some of the most widely held beliefs in CX.

You'll gain:

• A data-led perspective grounded in 30 years of evidence

• A clearer understanding of why satisfaction scores fall despite CX investment

• Practical insight into the economic forces shaping customer experience

• A more realistic way to think about CX performance and ROI

Resources Mentioned

American Customer Satisfaction Index: https://theacsi.org/the-acsi-difference/us-overall-customer-satisfaction/

Forrest Morgeson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/forrestmorgeson/

About the Hosts:

Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book launch in June 2025 called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

Morgan Ward is an adjunct marketing professor, weekly expert guest on The Take—11Alive's in-depth news program that explores timely stories through expert insight—With over 20 years of experience advising clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500s and publishing in top academic journals, she's passionate about decoding the symbolic and cultural forces that shape consumer behavior. Her work focuses on status, identity, and decision-making across sectors like luxury, retail, and tech. Beyond consulting, Morgan serves as an expert witness in branding and advertising litigation, bringing academic rigor to questions of perception, distinctiveness, and influence.

Follow Morgan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgankward-phd/)

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In this episode of The Intuitive Customer, Professor Ryan Hamilton is joined by Ben Shaw, seasoned brand strategist, to unpack the promises and pitfalls of synthetic audiences - AI-driven research used for faster, cheaper market research.

Synthetic audiences, powered by large language models (LLMs), can replicate customer segments and respond to creative concepts or product questions at scale cutting the time and cost of traditional surveys. But does it come with trade-offs?

Expect lively debate on the AI vs. LLM naming debate, the enduring value of ethnography and nuance, and practical tips for blending synthetic and traditional research to make smarter, more human-centred decisions. From democratising access to consumer insight to questioning the believability of robot-approved ad copy, this candid discussion highlights how to use these tools wisely.

1. Synthetic ≠ Real: Synthetic audiences use LLMs to predict human responses—they're powerful, but they're still not replacements for real people.

2. Direction not Proof: Treat synthetic audiences as a first-cut hypothesis tool i.e.great for inspiration, not yet reliable as stand-alone evidence.

3. Nuance & Minority Voices Matter: AI often defaults to the average response, risking loss of critical insights from edge cases or minority behaviours.

4. Democratisation of Insight: With the right data, teams from product to shop-floor staff can ask customer-centred questions directly.

5. Best Practice: Use synthetic audiences for speed and hypothesis testing, then validate with real humans—especially for high-stakes decisions.

• HubSpot CMO Kipp Bodnar "Better, faster, AND cheaper isn't a trade-off anymore"

• Harvard Business School study 'Using LLMs for Market Research'

Sales and Customer Experience—two critical functions that should work together, but too often operate at odds. This week, Colin and Ryan explore how traditional sales tactics can undermine long-term loyalty and create organisational silos. They share personal stories (including Colin's car-buying nightmare) and practical advice for aligning sales with your desired customer experience. If you want to sell AND build trust, this episode is for you.

Best Quote of the Episode: "If you can't proudly stand behind the experience you're creating, you've got a problem." — Colin Shaw

Key Takeaways:

✅ Traditional closing techniques can damage trust, even when they maybe effective ✅ Sales incentives often conflict with customer experience goals ✅ Leadership must deliberately define the experience they want to deliver ✅ Culture matters: a sales-first mentality breeds silos and resentment ✅ Aligning sales and CX is essential for long-term success, not just short-term gains

👉 Got a business challenge you'd like us to tackle? Visit www.BeyondPhilosophy.com/pickle and tell us about it!

About the Hosts:

Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 284,000 followers and 87,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience, Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn.

Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press 2025

Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

Subscribe & Follow

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Trust in traditional institutions is eroding. As customers lose faith in advertising, government and even online reviews, they're turning to voices that feel most relatable: peers and communities. Edelman's latest Trust Barometer shows the most credible spokesperson for a company is now "people like me."

Ben Shaw and Professor Ryan Hamilton explore the decline of influencer credibility, the rise of community-driven word-of-mouth, the tension between authenticity and control, and why attention + trust will be the "coins of the realm" for brands in the decade ahead.

1. Trust > control – brands that over-engineer influencer content or product placement erode the very authenticity that made those channels effective.

2. Attention + trust are today's scarce currencies – in an AI-shaped customer journey where deep-fakes, fake reviews and scam sites abound, both are harder to win.

3. Community is the new battleground – brands should put the "social" back into social media: support micro-communities, forums and peer-to-peer validation rather than chase mass reach alone.

4. Influencers ≠ "people like me" anymore – audiences are starting to view most creators as a separate, commercial class.

5. Virtual influencers may be a short-lived novelty – unless treated as fictional characters with entertainment value and transparent intent.

• Edelman Trust Barometer

• G2 crowd / peer-review sites – cited B2B tactic to harness "people like me."

• Case notes: Super Bowl celebrity ads vs brand recall, Vodafone Germany's virtual influencer, Colonel Sanders' virtual persona.

Episode Overview

When everything is one-click easy, do we lose something meaningful? Guest host Dr. Morgan Ward joins Dr. Ryan Hamilton to explore how the right amount of friction in the consumption experience can boost connection, meaning, and long-term use of the product—while the wrong kind just gets in the way.

Quote of the Episode

"Consumption, in some ways, has just gotten too easy." — Dr. Morgan Ward

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Easier isn't always better. Ultra-frictionless buying can strip away the identity, discovery, and accomplishment that make buying feel meaningful.
2. Effort signals value. From "chicken-juice coupons" to the IKEA effect, a little work can increase attachment and repeat use.
3. Design friction by segment. Introverts may love self-checkout; extroverts crave chatty lanes—know which experience your customers wants
4. Guide them but don't overwhelm. Keep choice in the journey (it's part of self-expression) but make it manageable and well-scaffolded.
5. Use friction where it adds meaning. Experiential or identity-laden consumption experiences benefit from challenge and discovery; utilitarian tasks should stay smooth.
6. Let search be satisfying. Curated discovery, small hurdles, or "surprise" moments can deliver the joy of the hunt without wasting time.

📚 Resources Mentioned / Referenced

· Research example on difficult vs. easy coupons and subsequent purchase

· The classic Better Crocker Effect based on the pancake-mix story (adding an egg restored pride and perceived contribution)

· Discovery mechanics (blind-box/surprise products) and guided choice in retail

· When should there be friction in the consumption experience and when should there not be?

About the Hosts

Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press 2025

Follow Ryan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-hamilton-49b3321/)

Morgan Ward is an adjunct marketing professor, weekly expert guest on The Take—11Alive's in-depth news program that explores timely stories through expert insight—With over 20 years of experience advising clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500s and publishing in top academic journals, she's passionate about decoding the symbolic and cultural forces that shape consumer behavior. Her work focuses on status, identity, and decision-making across sectors like luxury, retail, and tech. Beyond consulting, Morgan serves as an expert witness in branding and advertising litigation, bringing academic rigor to questions of perception, distinctiveness, and influence.

Follow Morgan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgankward-phd/)

In this episode, Colin Shaw shares a recent personal experience with a major brand that imposed a 'gag order' (NDA) after a poor service experience — and how this reflects a deeper organizational issue: silos. Together with Professor Ryan Hamilton, Colin explores why siloed thinking leads to incoherent customer experiences, how internal motivations can conflict with CX goals, and what leaders must do to ensure learning, trust, and advocacy remain priorities. A must-listen for CX professionals and senior leaders alike.

Best Quote:

"Who decides? That is the question every leadership team should ask — and answer wisely."

Key Takeaways:

• Organizational silos often lead to decisions that prioritise risk management over customer experience.

• Legal and PR functions may act rationally within their remit, but this can result in poor CX outcomes without CX leadership involvement.

• Service recovery is a powerful opportunity to build trust and advocacy — if handled thoughtfully.

• The presence of gag orders may indicate systemic issues that need urgent attention.

• CX leaders must break silos, promote organisational learning, and ensure customer trust is considered in every critical decision.

Register for the 'Unleash AI. Reimagine CX launch event' by NiCE Cognigy

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About the Hosts:

Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 284,000 followers and 87,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience, Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn.

Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press 2025

Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

Subscribe & Follow

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Spotify