AT&T prioritizes using AI to enhance its core service—like predicting storm impacts to reroute network traffic or optimizing technician dispatch. By improving the actual customer experience first, subsequent marketing communications about reliability and service become more authentic and impactful. The product proof precedes the marketing promise.

Customers often rate a service higher if they believe significant effort was expended—a concept called the "illusion of effort." Even if a faster, automated process yields the same result, framing the delivery around the effort invested in creating the system can boost perceived quality.

AI can analyze a customer's support history to predict their behavior. For instance, if a customer consistently calls about shipping delays, an AI agent can proactively contact them with an update before they reach out, transforming a reactive, negative interaction into a positive customer experience.

When a system bug caused customers to be overcharged, Nubank proactively returned the money with an apology, even before customers noticed. This action demonstrates their core value of prioritizing long-term customer loyalty and trust over short-term financial gains, viewing it as the ultimate driver of company value.

Most engineers only interact with customers during negative events like outages or escalations. To build customer empathy and a product mindset, leaders must intentionally create positive touchpoints. This includes sending engineers to customer conferences or including them on low-stakes customer calls.

Most marketing avoids negativity, but proactively addressing your product's flaws or top churn reasons is a powerful strategy. It disarms skeptical buyers who are used to perfect marketing narratives. This transparency builds trust and attracts best-fit customers who won't be surprised by your product's limitations.

Jim Clayton believed over 80% of legal claims originate from a failure to deliver customer satisfaction. Instead of hiring lawyers to fight, he personally called angry customers or visited homes to fix problems, solving the root cause for a fraction of the cost of litigation.

In the competitive telecom industry, AT&T's differentiation strategy wasn't about flashy promotions. It was about mastering the fundamentals customers truly want: a dependable network, prompt service, and fair deals for all customers. This focus led to the successful "AT&T Guarantee" program.

Don't hide from errors. Steve Munn found that when he made a mistake, taking ownership and handling it well actually enhanced client "stickiness" and deepened the relationship. Clients saw he cared and was accountable, building more trust than if the error never happened.