009: To AI or Not to AI…That Is the Question (...and we’re asking the same thing)

This weeks issue: AI or no AI? How do we make this decision? We’ve been toying with the idea of using an AI web assistant (and eventually a voice assistant) to improve efficiency in our front office. It’s a big decision, with several pros and cons, so I’ll just share what we’ve been thinking. Here’s what we know…

• We don’t want to miss leads, especially after hours or when our front office staff is tied up on other calls.

• We’d know we’d love to be available 24/7!

• We know that some people want a quick online experience, and others want to talk to someone.

• We know that a GREAT first impression with a REAL person, and one that can educate the customer on the benefits of our programs will lead to longer customer lifetimes. This is something AI just can't do.
  

Where does that leave us? Well, I think the best decision for us right now is to take a hybrid approach: start with a web assistant and do our best to get it right. That’s going to take some work. And as we all know, great ideas are only as good as how well we execute them. So the real discussion becomes: “How do we NOT screw this up?” - and -  “What could go wrong that we want to avoid?”

Naturally, we ran it by AI 😉… Here’s what it told us: 1. Rushing Setup Without Mapping the Customer Journey First Mistake: Just plugging in an AI assistant with a basic FAQ script or generic answers, without deeply thinking through how parents actually use your website or call in. 🔴 Consequence:

• Parents get canned or unhelpful responses like “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that,” when asking real-life questions like: “Can I switch from Tuesday to Thursday Ninja after next week’s camp?”

• They drop off frustrated, or worse, decide your business is disorganized or hard to work with.
  

🟡 Why it happens:

• Owners underestimate how emotional and nuanced decisions are when it comes to their kids

• They want to “just get something live” to look modern.
  

🟢 Fix:

• Interview real customers or review call logs.

• Map out the top 10 most common parent scenarios, NOT just questions, and build flows for those.
  

2. Not Keeping the Info Current Mistake: A “set-it-and-forget-it” approach. The AI still thinks you’re running Spring Break camps in June or quotes the wrong birthday party pricing. 🔴 Consequence:

• Parents get confused, book the wrong thing, or feel misled.

• Staff wastes time fixing problems AI created, undoing any “efficiency” the AI was supposed to bring.
  

🟡 Why it happens:

• No one is officially “in charge” of keeping the AI content updated.

• Business owners are too busy running programs to maintain yet another tech tool.
  

🟢 Fix:

• Assign AI content updates to someone specific on your team.

• Use a shared doc or internal update calendar to note all program changes that affect customer communications.
  

3. Over-Automating and Removing the Human Touch Mistake: Forcing every customer into an AI loop with no escape. Calls go in circles, and chats can’t escalate to a real person. 🔴 Consequence:

• Parents panic when they can’t get a real person to talk to, especially when something goes wrong (payment issues, injured kid, etc.).

• Trust in your brand drops. You sound like a faceless company instead of the warm, local community you’ve built.
  

🟡 Why it happens:

• Businesses want to save time and money by deflecting as many calls as possible.

• They think automation = efficiency, but forget that customer satisfaction = retention.
  

🟢 Fix:

• Always offer an easy “Talk to a human” option.

• Use AI as a triage tool, not a wall between you and your customers.

This will certainly take some work, but we know it’s the future and we don’t want to be left behind! Keep fixing, Casey Wright Founder, Wright’s Gymnastics & NinjaZone

🎯Real Talk - Let’s be honest,  adding AI sounds slick… until it starts calling your customers “valued users” and gives camp info from 2022.

We’re not looking for a robot to run the front desk. We just want to stop missing leads when a parent calls at 9:45 PM asking if her son can switch to Thursday Ninja.

So yes, we’re testing AI, but only the kind that knows it’s a sidekick, not the superhero.