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Key Takeaways Most companies are already using AI in some way — but in my company’s research, only 17% of respondents would use AI for client communication, compared to 3 in 4 respondents allowing it to give them project estimates based on historical data.
The average person is becoming more aware of what sounds like AI and what doesn’t. Exercise caution when using AI to talk to a client or customer. They might not like knowing that there’s no human behind the screen.
There’s a rule of thumb in behavioral psychology called the effort heuristic: We assign value to things based on how much effort we perceive went into them. Marketers are very familiar with this concept — just think about the pricing premium on anything labeled “craft” and “handmade” versus something off the production line.
For decades, the effort heuristic was mostly a curiosity, an interesting quirk of human perception. But for professional services firms in the AI era, it has practically become a live business risk.
Stick to your lane, robot
Our recent research in the professional services industry explored what tasks people would delegate to an AI agent, and 3 in 4 respondents happily nominated project estimates based on historical data. Around two-thirds said scheduling and time tracking were fair game. But client communication? Only 17% would allow AI to handle it.
A clear consensus, and one that held across roles, company sizes and markets. The part of the work that’s mechanical, repeatable, concrete — take it away, AI. The part that involves human relationships — hard no.
The line is drawn clearly. But why exactly there?
The question of perceived value
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