Here’s the quickest way to lose your customers:
letting AI speak for you.
I recently chatted with a client about AI and how everyone is using big words. Words that you read in academic papers but hardly ever hear humans say.
I’m a firm believer in working smart, not hard. This has been my motto for most of my life. I'm not lazy; I just understand that we have a limited amount of time and energy each day, and we need to be smart about how we use it. The smarter I work - the closer I get to my goals.
We talked about how critical it is to position content based on the platform. Emails are formal and have more info. Chat apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Slack are casual and should sound that way.
Always think about things from the customer's point of view. Thanks to Heidi Brauwer for coming up with FTCPOV in 2015.
AI can help speed up the process, but it can't replace your unique voice or the personal touch your customers crave.
My pet peeve is businesses that think AI can replace thoughtful communication. You pop a command into ChatGPT, copy and paste, hit send, and then wonder why your customers feel disconnected.
Sure, it’s faster and easier—you don’t have to give it too much thought.
BUT…
If you plan to be lazy, not review that output, and personalise it to sound like you, you will lose your customers.
It might sound tough, but it’s true. If you don’t take the time to review and personalise, your customers will notice.
Think about it: until late last year, no one outside of editors and academics used the word “foster.” And the only time you’d hear “robust” was when the CFO presented financials to the board.
Mere mortals like us didn’t use these words.
Why?
Maybe because we weren’t sure how to use them. Or maybe because we understood that the key to effective communication is ensuring your audience understands the message. The quickest way to lose an audience is to use words they need to Google—by the time they understand, they’ve missed half of what you said.
The difference between human messaging and AI messaging is subtle, but if you’re paying attention, you’ll spot it immediately…
AI ALMOST ALWAYS writes in a self-glorifying, ego-centric tone. Good businesses know that they earn the right to a sustainable future (borrowed from the Hollard purpose) by doing right in the community they serve.
No business exists outside of its customers. No customers = no business.
Have you read any of these lately?
“I’m thrilled to announce…”
“I hope this message finds you well…”
“In today’s fast-paced world…”
These are all word-for-word AI-generated responses, and every one focuses on the writer—not the reader. They’re standard structures created by a machine with no soul, no personality, and NO HEART.
All its responses start the same way: GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out). A lazy command written quickly to check a box results in a standard response that makes you just like everyone else— nothing unique here.
In contrast, think about why you shop at your local bakery or small business. You know the baker, his wife teaches at the local school, and his daughter coaches the soccer team. They know your name. “Hey, Mike, how’s the wife?” That’s not just a transaction—it’s a relationship.
Big companies can do a great job when they train their customer service teams in the art of customer experience. These trained customer service agents look up your information and have a personalised chat with you. For example, they might ask how you like your new car because they saw that you recently added it to your insurance policy. This creates a memorable customer experience that goes beyond mere transactions. Again, “People BUY from People.”
Your customers don’t care that you’re excited—they care that you can solve their problems or help them achieve a goal.
Does this mean you shouldn’t use AI to generate content? No, of course, you can. But take that vanilla, run-of-the-mill, “same, same, not at all different” content and turn it into something spectacular that people actually want to read—something that helps them connect with you, your brand, and your product.
The key to success in your business is showing up as a real person, different from all the other same-same vanilla noise. Chatbots are great when they work well, but at some point, your customer wants to speak to a real person—one with a pulse.
Customers are looking for businesses with a pulse—a sign of life. We can’t forgive a bot for getting it wrong; it’s frustrating, it's a dead end. But we can forgive the person who takes the time to connect.
Before you hit 'send' on that next AI-generated email, ask yourself: Is this me? If not, take a moment to add your personal touch—it’s what your customers are waiting for.
Disclaimer: this post acknowledges that there are many use cases for AI - the potential is still untapped. As responsible business owners we need to remain in the driving seat of customer connection - and automate all the admin in a way that adds to connection - not detract from it.
