Who Is Training Your Customers?
You send a text. A few seconds later, the three little dots appear. Someone is typing. Then they disappear. Now you want to know what happened. Did they get distracted? Change their mind? Are they still responding? It’s funny how much information we’ve learned to expect from three little dots that didn’t even exist for most of our lives. That’s how quickly “normal” changes.
Something new shows up. We figure it out. We get used to it. Eventually, we notice if it’s missing. Your customers are doing this all day long, and the businesses shaping their expectations may have nothing to do with your industry or your efforts.
Because Someone Else Is Training Your Customers
FedEx didn’t just teach customers to expect faster shipping. Amazon didn’t just change what people expect from online shopping. Uber didn’t just make it easier to get a ride. They introduced experiences that changed what people considered normal.
Now we can watch our package move across the country. We can watch the car we ordered drive toward us on a map. We can schedule an appointment at 10 p.m. and get a confirmation before we put our phone down. Each experience teaches us what businesses are capable of doing. Then we carry those expectations into the next interaction.
Your Industry Doesn’t Set the Standard
It’s natural to look at competitors when evaluating your marketing. You look at their websites, social media, advertising and reviews to understand what’s happening in your market. That gives you context, but it doesn’t always tell you what your customers have already learned to expect elsewhere. Those expectations follow them through the customer journey.
- Can they find the information that brought them there?
- Can they understand what you offer?
- Do they know what to do next?
- If they reach out, do they know their message was received?
These interactions shape how someone experiences your brand before anything else.
Pay Attention to the Things You Notice
You don’t need to turn your local business into Amazon. You do need to pay attention to what has become normal. One of the easiest ways to do that is to notice your own reactions.
You notice when there’s no confirmation email, or maybe you notice when you can’t find the price for something. Maybe you even notice when the three little dots disappear. Those reactions tell you something about how your own expectations have changed, and your customers have their own version of them.
- What information are people accustomed to having immediately?
- Where are they waiting without knowing what’s happening?
- What are they being asked to work harder to find?
Sometimes these are simple opportunities to bring the experience you provide closer to the experience your customers have already learned to expect.
Normal Will Keep Moving
A lot of the things we expect from businesses today would have felt excessive not that long ago. Tomorrow, something else will become ordinary. Your customers will get used to it somewhere else first. Then they’ll bring that expectation with them when they find you.
That’s why paying attention to customer behavior matters just as much as paying attention to your competitors. Your competitors aren’t the only ones setting the bar. Your customers’ last great experience might be, too.
Have questions? Fill out the form below to connect with the JHD team, and tell us what you’re trying to improve. We’ll help you figure out the next step.
Jason Bass is a marketing strategist, community builder, and founder who turns bold ideas into real momentum. At the helm of Jason Hunter Design, Pixel Partner Digital, and The Citizen, he brings clarity to chaos, structure to startups, and firepower to brands ready to scale. Known for his visionary thinking and down-to-earth leadership, Jason helps businesses grow — not just in revenue, but in purpose and impact.