Why Short-Form Content & Thinking is Destroying Your Customer Experience, And Your Career.

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When was the last time you binge-watched a show and thought, I really absorbed all that!? Exactly. More content doesn’t mean better content—it just means more...

There’s an explosion of content, and it’s overwhelming. Just because something is available every week doesn’t mean people want it that often. When a podcast appears too often, it can become background noise. Instead of looking forward to it, the danger is people start ignoring it. But when something appears less frequently, it becomes a treat.?

After almost 400 episodes of The Intuitive Customer and being ranked in the top 2% of podcasts globally by Listen Notes, Professor Ryan Hamilton , my co-host and I have made a big decision: We’re switching from a weekly podcast to every other week, which applies to this newsletter.?

This is a strategic decision, based on the principles of ‘Less is more’. I admit it's a gamble. It's a gamble that we will get more reads and better engagement with quality content, and it's the subject of why I think short-term thinking is hurting Customer Experience.

Let me explain. In today’s world, we’re drowning in content. Every second, there’s a new post, a new video, a new podcast. People have more information at their fingertips than ever before, yet somehow—the danger is we’re thinking less.

Why? Because we’ve become addicted to short-term, bite-sized learning.

Think about it. When was the last time you actually sat down to read a whole book? Or listened to a long podcast without multitasking? It’s hard, isn’t it? We’ve been conditioned to consume in quick bursts—30-second TikToks, bite-sized LinkedIn posts, short podcast snippets. But while these formats are great for grabbing attention, they’re terrible for deep understanding. And that’s where businesses are getting it all wrong in my view.

The Illusion of Learning: Why Short-Form Content Feels Productive but Isn’t

We’ve all done it. You scroll through LinkedIn, see a flashy post with “5 quick ways to improve customer experience,” and think, Wow, I learned something today! But did you? Or did you just read something that made you feel like you learned?

Short-form content gives us the illusion of productivity. It makes us feel informed. But real learning—the kind that changes how we think and act—takes time. And time is exactly what most businesses don’t want to invest.

Take Net Promoter Score (NPS), for example. Businesses love it because it’s simple. One question: “How likely are you to recommend company XYZ to a friend or colleague?” And suddenly, companies think they have a handle on customer experience. But NPS alone doesn’t tell you why customers feel like they do. It doesn’t uncover emotions, frustrations, or the deep-seated psychological reasons behind loyalty. To be clear, I think NPS should be included in a suite of measures, but it is NOT the answer to life, the universe and everything as it has been positioned.

Shortcuts like these create a false sense of progress. They make businesses think they’re improving customer experience when, in reality, they’re just ticking boxes.

The Power of Deep Learning: Why Nuance Matters

Now, contrast that with deep learning. Imagine you really want to master customer experience. You could watch a 60-second video on “How to Delight Customers,” or you could learn about how and why customers behave as they do. You can watch customers and constantly test strategies.

Which one will actually transform your business?

Genuine customer experience improvement doesn’t come from quick hacks. It comes from understanding why customers behave the way they do. That’s why behavioral science is so important—it teaches us about the irrational, emotional, and subconscious drivers of decision-making.

For example, one of my favorite concepts is the Peak-End Rule, which Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman developed. Several years ago, I watched a stunning TED Talk that excited me. Why? It made me think. The talk explained that customers don’t remember an entire experience. They remember the most intense moment (the peak) and the end.?

So, if you run a hotel, your customers won’t recall every interaction. They’ll remember the exceptional service they received when they checked in (if it was great) or the terrible experience they had when checking out (if it was awful). That’s what sticks.

Now, you could skim a blog post that says, “Focus on the end of the experience!” and think, Got it! But the real magic happens when you dive deeper. When you analyze your touchpoints, when you experiment with different endings, and when you measure emotional responses, that’s how you create real change.

Why Quick Fixes Fail: The Customer Experience Trap

I see so many businesses falling into the short-term trap. They want quick results, fast ROI, and instant gratification. So, they implement a chatbot to “fix” customer service, automate emails to boost engagement, and redesign their websites, thinking that alone will drive conversions.

Sometimes, these tactics work—for a while. But customer experience isn’t about quick wins. It’s about building long-term relationships, which are built on trust, consistency, and emotional connection.

Let’s take loyalty programs as an example. Many companies believe that offering discounts or points will drive customer retention. And yes, incentives work—to an extent. But true loyalty isn’t transactional. It’s emotional. Customers stay loyal when they feel valued, understood, and connected to a brand. That’s something you can’t achieve through a quick discount.

The same applies to customer feedback. Many companies collect feedback but never analyze it deeply. They look at surface-level numbers—satisfaction scores, review ratings—but don’t ask the more profound questions. Why do customers feel this way? What emotions are driving their choices? If you only focus on the numbers, you’ll miss the real insights.

The Role of AI: A Tool, Not a Replacement

Now, let’s talk about AI. I love AI. It’s a fantastic tool for efficiency. But it’s also a dangerous crutch.

AI can write your emails, answer customer queries, and even generate marketing content. But it can’t think for you. It can’t provide the human nuance that makes customer experience truly exceptional.

Think about Google Maps. It’s a brilliant tool. But if you rely on it too much, you never learn how to navigate yourself. AI is the same. If businesses lean too heavily on AI without deep understanding, they’ll end up automating their way to mediocrity.

The Solution: Embrace Depth, Not Just Speed

So, what’s the fix? How do we escape the trap of short-term thinking?

1. Slow Down. Stop chasing quick fixes and start investing in deep learning. Read books. Take courses. Listen to long-form discussions.
2. Think Critically. Don’t just accept customer experience advice at face value. Question it. Test it. Apply it in different contexts.
3. Emphasize Emotional Intelligence. Customer experience isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about emotions. Understand the why behind customer behavior.
4. Experiment and Iterate. A great customer experience isn’t built overnight. It requires continuous learning, testing, and refining.
5. Use AI Wisely. AI should enhance human decision-making, not replace it. Use it as aan efficient tool not as a shortcut to thinking.

Final Thoughts: Be Curious, Not Just Informed

If there’s one message I want to leave you with, it’s this: Be curious.

Curiosity is what drives real innovation. It’s what makes businesses go beyond surface-level fixes and uncover what truly makes customers tick. It’s what separates companies that succeed long-term from those that chase the latest trend.

So, the next time you encounter a quick tip or a viral hack, ask yourself: Am I learning? Or am I just consuming?

Because in customer experience, as in life, depth always wins over speed.

And that’s a lesson worth taking the time to learn.