Sometimes I get angry at AIs. It’s silly of me, I know: it’s like getting angry at a blender.
But I still do.
With the blender, it’s different. If it doesn’t work, I just say: “It broke.” End of story, time for another blender. Nobody expects it to blend better than yesterday, or to know that today I want a smoothie with less foam. It’s just a blender.
AI, on the other hand, talks, answers, and seems to understand… and that’s the trap. When it fails, we don’t think “it broke.” We think: “it wasted my time.” We blame it, as if it had intentions.
That frustration is irrational—but inevitable. And the same thing happens to your customers when they chat with your company.
They don’t say: “the bot broke.” They feel: “the company didn’t serve me well.” Because for the customer, the chatbot is you.
Here’s the point:
- If your bot is generic, it’s like putting an employee at the front desk who doesn’t know who you are or what you sell.
- If your bot is personalized, it becomes part of your team: it answers in your style, knows your offer, and responds consistently.
The difference is huge: A chatbot can win you customers or drive them away. It all depends on whether you treat it like a blender—or like an employee who represents your business.
And yes, I still get angry at AI because I’m human, just like your customers 🙃. The difference is that when they get frustrated, they don’t blame the machine. They blame your company.