Before his first trip to Japan, Colin asked his mobile provider's chatbot one simple question — and the confident answer it gave him could have cost him a small fortune. It's a two-minute story, and it cracks open something much bigger.
In this episode, Colin Shaw and Professor Ryan Hamilton dig into why so many AI rollouts quietly make the customer experience worse, not better. Colin is convinced we've seen this movie before. Ryan brings a framework to the table — and Colin tells him, on air, exactly where he thinks it falls short. If you're putting AI anywhere near your customers, this is the conversation to have before you write a single prompt.
Best Quote from the Episode:
"There's nothing new under the sun — and we're rushing headlong into cementing poor experiences." — Colin Shaw
What We Get Into:
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The chatbot exchange that made Colin screenshot his own phone provider — and what it revealed about nearly every AI rollout happening right now.
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Why the real culprit isn't the technology — and the uncomfortable question most leaders never stop to ask.
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"Inside out" vs. "outside in": the four ways an organization can relate to its customers, and how to tell which one you're really in.
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The framework Ryan swears by for deploying AI — and the gap Colin thinks it leaves wide open.
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The one thing you must do before you write a single prompt — and why almost nobody does it.
Why You Should Listen:
Because "should we use AI?" is the wrong question — and it's the one most leaders are stuck on. In fifteen minutes, Colin and Ryan turn it into the questions that actually protect your brand. Come for the chatbot story; stay for the argument that follows.
Resources Mentioned
Revolutionize Your Customer Experience (Palgrave Macmillan): https://beyondphilosophy.com/books/
Ayelet Israeli, Harvard Business School — Israeli, Ayelet, (2025) "Generative AI in Marketing," Harvard Business Impact, 526022-PDF-ENG https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/526024-PDF-ENG
American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI): https://theacsi.org/news-and-resources/press-releases/2026/02/10/press-release-national-acsi-q4-2025/
About the Hosts:
Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 286,000 followers and 89,000 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 720,000 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 book 'The Intuitive Customer'. 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's new book was launched 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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