I want it all, and I want it now comes from the song by Queen, which was released in 1989. It emphasizes the determination to want everything in life, preferably immediately. That will sound familiar to many customer contact professionals in 2025. Customers want a quick answer. Good solutions. No waiting times. And preferably 24/7 availability via their preferred channel.

 

Text: Cynthia Mak

At least, this is if you follow all the trend reports published by suppliers within the customer contact industry. Coincidentally, the same suppliers also have suitable solutions for this problem, in the form of various AI applications. But do we really want everything now? And should we want that?

Imagine lying awake in the middle of the night, worried about money. You lie there worrying and fretting about whether you can still pay your mortgage. It’s 3am and you can’t call a financial advisor to help you out of your mental misery. Drama.

How fantastic would it be if you could go directly to your AI advisor? Who can help you without waiting times, circadian rhythm or reading time can tell you directly how the financial flag is hanging, and thus take away your worries? 24/7 a fast and accurate answer, at your service.Worry away and sleep.

But is that really the case? Does such a sleepless night of worrying – however annoying – perhaps have a function? One that AI, with its quick solutions, cannot take over?

Postponement of reward

In the Marshmallow experiment an experimenter leaves a child in a room with a marshmallow. If the experimenter returns, and the marshmallow is still there, the child gets two. Is it gone? Then the party is over.

This famous experiment by Walter Mischel showed how difficult it can be to resist temptation. But guess what? The ability to tolerate delayed gratification — delayed gratification —was a significant predictor of success. Children who were able to wait and cash in on double marshmallows not only performed better in school later in life, but also had more successful careers and built healthier relationships.

Opposite delayed gratification stayed instant gratification: immediate gratification of needs. This is mainly linked to impulsiveness, making rash decisions and making bad choices. Chewing on problems for a while has a protective function: by thinking and planning carefully, you have a greater chance of getting exactly what you need or want. Is it possible that the rapid deployment of AI is depriving us of something important?

Getting rich while waiting

The ultimate example of delayed gratification is perhaps the Birkin Bag. This iconic handbag from Hermès has a price tag of 9.000 to 30.000 dollars. To get your hands on one, you have to get on an exclusive waiting list as a loyal customer. It can take up to two years before you can hold your beloved bag in your arms. This waiting time has nothing to do with production time: it only takes 48 hours to produce a bag. That should be faster, you would think. Still, the wait is worth it: with an average annual return of 14,2% on the second-hand market, the bag even surpasses the value development of gold.

So waiting can definitely yield something. The reverse is also true: not waiting can cost you something.

The cost of an instant response

In an episode of Gilmore Girls, the residents of Stars Hollow organize a knitting contest to raise money for the renovation of the local bridge. For weeks, the residents prepare for the knitting event. And then the moment arrives: knitting. After two hours, a generous donor – a new resident of Stars Hollow – shows up, touched by the effort the residents are making for the bridge, and decides to help. He donates the required amount in one go. End of the knitting contest. Everything that had been worked towards is swept aside in one fell swoop because the goal has been achieved. A bittersweet result.

The generous giver was comparable to the instant reaction of AI. The result is there, but the process in this case turned out to be more important and valuable than the result to be achieved.

Waiting adds value

In the world of AI and customer contact, speed seems to be the holy grail. And yes, in emergencies, speed is crucial. Nobody wants to wait five minutes on hold at 112. But not all situations require a 112 approach. In fact, by making everything immediately available, we risk losing something valuable. Just as marshmallows, the Birkin Bag and the knitting competition teach us: waiting adds value. It gives us the space to get clear on what we really want or need. It increases appreciation and can even lead to better solutions or even 14.2% annual return.

As AI continues to make our customer interactions faster and more efficient, we mustn’t forget that there are times when it pays to feel the discomfort of waiting. Perhaps the real trick is knowing when to respond immediately, and when to wait — if only so you can enjoy that second marshmallow at the bottom of your Birkin bag.

(Ziptone/Cynthia Mak)

Customer Experience, Featured, Opinions