Evaluating
Omission Bias
As humans we are loss averse and our brains think action is worse than inaction because if we do nothing and miss out on a gain it feels better than acting and experiencing a negative outcome/loss.
For Example
Consider two scenarios: You observe a distracted individual on their cell phone who may walk into traffic, but you choose not to intervene. You are walking behind a distracted individual who is slow, and in your attempt to pass them, you accidentally push them into traffic. Which scenario is worse? Most people would say the second scenario (B) because an action directly resulted in harm. However, both scenarios are equally tragic, as they both result in the death of a pedestrian. The reason many perceive the second scenario as worse is due to omission bias, which leads us to view harmful actions as more blameworthy than harmful inactions, even when the outcomes are the same.
Similar Biases
Loss Aversion
We tend to remember tasks and goals that are not completed.
Omission Bias is a cognitive bias that describes the tendency for individuals to prefer avoiding action (omission) rather than actively making choices (commission), particularly when facing uncertainty or potential negative outcomes. Customers typically believe that actively causing harm or error is worse than passively allowing harm or error to happen by doing nothing. In Customer Experience (CX), Omission Bias explains why customers often stick with default options, remain loyal to unsatisfying brands, or fail to adopt beneficial changes. Customers fear making active decisions that might lead to negative consequences and experience greater anticipated regret from decisions they actively make. Effective CX teams recognize this and strategically design choices to make beneficial actions seem less risky, use thoughtful default settings, and provide reassurance that reduces fear of regret, encouraging beneficial customer decisions.
Omission Bias in Refereeing: Avoiding Crucial Game-Changing Calls
Research indicates that referees tend to avoid making crucial calls during pivotal moments, such as the final minutes of a closely contested game. This tendency stems from the fear that an incorrect call could be perceived as far worse than making no call at all, illustrating omission bias in action. Referees may prefer inaction to avoid the potential backlash associated with a game-changing decision, even when intervention might be necessary. This behavior highlights how omission bias can influence decision-making, emphasizing the psychological preference for avoiding the perceived consequences of direct actions over the outcomes of inactions.
Understanding Omission Bias in Vaccine Hesitancy
In a study by David Asch in 1994, it was found that many parents avoided vaccines because they believed the possible side effects of the vaccine were worse than the risk of their child getting the disease. Essentially, they felt that doing nothing (not vaccinating) was safer than taking action (vaccinating), even though the opposite is true.
Examining Omission Bias: A Study on Moral Judgments in Competitive Scenarios
In an experiment, participants were presented with the following scenario: John is a talented tennis player, though not skilled enough to go professional. Every year, his tennis club hosts a tournament with a substantial prize, attracting professional players. John reaches the finals, where he is set to compete against a famous professional player. The night before the game, all players dine at a salad bar. John knows that the pro player is allergic to cayenne pepper, which is an ingredient in the house dressing. Participants were then asked to evaluate John's morality in three different actions: John recommends the house dressing to the pro player. John does nothing when the pro player orders the house dressing. John suggests switching to the house dressing after the pro player initially chooses the Italian dressing. The results revealed that 65% of participants found option B (doing nothing) to be less immoral than the other options. This finding illustrates omission bias, where inaction is perceived as more morally acceptable than harmful actions, even when the outcomes are equally detrimental.
Illustrate the Hidden Costs of Doing Nothing
Inaction Has Consequences
At the early stages of recognizing their needs, customers often hesitate to act due to fear of potential regret. Clearly demonstrating what customers stand to lose by doing nothing can help overcome omission bias. For instance, health insurance providers effectively highlight the potential high medical costs or health risks of delaying coverage, thus motivating customers to overcome inertia and take action.
CX Application:
- Use clear visual scenarios showing negative outcomes resulting from inaction.
- Create urgency gently by clearly demonstrating potential costs of delaying decisions.
- Balance messaging with empathy to minimize anxiety and encourage confident decisions.
Encourage Action through Default Options
Defaults Drive Decisions
During the awareness phase, customers are sensitive to perceived risks of actively choosing something new. Leveraging thoughtfully designed defaults reduces anxiety and makes beneficial actions feel safer. For example, software companies like Adobe offer default subscription options clearly marked as "recommended," significantly increasing customer adoption by subtly guiding customers towards positive decisions.
CX Application:
- Clearly highlight default or recommended options visually and verbally.
- Emphasize ease and safety of default choices, minimizing decision anxiety.
- Ensure defaults align closely with genuine customer needs to build trust and satisfaction.
Offer Clear, Low-Risk Pathways
Make Decisions Feel Safe
Customers actively considering alternatives often default to inaction out of fear they'll choose poorly. Offering low-risk pathways, such as "no-commitment trials," reduces the perceived danger of taking active decisions. Amazon's Prime free trial clearly reduces customers’ fears about actively subscribing by presenting a risk-free entry point, helping customers comfortably move forward.
CX Application:
- Clearly communicate risk-free guarantees or free trials prominently.
- Visually highlight how easy it is to reverse active choices if desired.
- Clearly frame active decisions as reversible or minimally risky, reducing fear of regret.
Create Frictionless Exploration Experiences
Remove Barriers to Decision
Customers fear exploring new options due to the potential regret of active exploration. Brands that eliminate friction or decision complexity make active exploration feel effortless and risk-free. Apple retail stores create safe environments where customers actively explore devices hands-on without commitment, significantly overcoming omission bias through frictionless interaction.
CX Application:
- Provide intuitive, effortless interactions allowing easy product exploration.
- Clearly communicate that exploration requires no immediate commitment.
- Reinforce customer comfort by highlighting simplicity and ease of exploration.
Highlight the Risks of Sticking to the Status Quo
Reveal the Risks of Passivity
When researching, customers fear regret from actively making choices. Clearly contrasting the benefits of active decisions against the risks of passive inaction motivates positive customer behavior. Financial institutions often demonstrate clear comparisons showing financial gains lost by doing nothing, gently prompting active beneficial actions.
CX Application:
- Provide clear comparative examples showing potential gains versus losses from inaction.
- Use visual storytelling to make the risks of omission emotionally clear and relatable.
- Communicate reassuringly, making active decision-making appear safer than passive inaction.
Clearly Emphasize Safe Recommended Choices
Simplify Choices to Overcome Anxiety
Customers at the selection stage experience heightened omission bias, anxious about actively choosing incorrectly. Clearly recommended options framed as safe, popular, or expert-approved significantly reduce anxiety. Travel sites like Booking.com prominently indicate “most popular” or “best-value” options, confidently guiding customers to actively select without fearing regret.
CX Application:
- Visually highlight clear recommended choices (e.g., "Most Popular," "Customer Favorite").
- Provide concise reasoning why a certain choice is beneficial, minimizing ambiguity.
- Clearly illustrate positive customer outcomes from recommended options, building reassurance.
Provide Effortless and Reassuring Checkout Processes
Reduce Anxiety at the Point of Commitment
Customers often abandon purchases at checkout due to omission bias—fearing potential regret from actively completing transactions. Streamlined checkout processes that leverage default payment methods or one-click purchases significantly reduce anxiety. Amazon’s "Buy Now" button simplifies active decisions, substantially reducing abandonment by minimizing cognitive effort and anxiety.
CX Application:
- Offer frictionless, minimal-click checkout experiences.
- Clearly reaffirm customer choices at checkout ("Excellent choice!").
- Provide visible reassurance (secure payment symbols, clear confirmations) at purchase.
Affirm Active Decisions with Positive Reinforcement
Reassure to Prevent Buyer’s Remorse
Customers can experience regret after actively making decisions. Post-purchase experiences must proactively reaffirm customers' decisions, clearly highlighting positive outcomes. Car manufacturers regularly follow up with messages reinforcing customers' decisions (“Your vehicle ranked top in safety and reliability”), significantly reducing post-purchase regret and validating their active choice.
CX Application:
- Send immediate reassuring follow-up communications emphasizing customer benefits.
- Provide tangible proof of positive outcomes from their active choice.
- Offer accessible post-purchase support to promptly alleviate any lingering anxiety.
Customer Experience Challenges
Typical challenges in CX where the bias can be used
- Control: Customers fear losing control through active decisions, causing decision avoidance. Brands should ensure that default choices feel safe and comfortable, providing clear guidance without undermining autonomy.
- Confidence: Customers hesitate when lacking confidence in decisions. CX teams must consistently reinforce decision confidence through transparency, clarity, and reassurance.
- Risk: Customers excessively fear regret or negative outcomes from active decisions. Brands should communicate realistic outcomes clearly, highlighting safe defaults or easy reversals to ease anxiety.
- Selection: Overwhelming choice complexity increases omission bias. CX teams must simplify selection by clearly recommending defaults, reassuring customers to confidently choose rather than passively avoid decisions.
- Information: Excessive or unclear information leads to decision paralysis. Brands must communicate clearly, briefly, and reassuringly, ensuring customers feel informed without overwhelmed, confidently overcoming omission tendencies.
Customer Experience Pillars
Renascence CX pillars where it can be applied most efficiently
- Integrity: Customers fear that brands might exploit their passivity or hesitation. Maintaining integrity requires brands to transparently communicate the risks and benefits of both action and inaction, ensuring customers never feel manipulated. Honest, empathetic guidance reassures customers, enabling them to overcome omission bias confidently.
- Expectations: Customers often hesitate to act because of uncertainty regarding expected outcomes. Brands must clearly set accurate expectations, framing active decisions as beneficial and realistically attainable. Managing expectations transparently helps customers feel secure when making active choices, effectively reducing their fear of regret.
- Resolution: Customers hesitant about making active decisions need clear, reassuring support systems. Effective resolution processes quickly mitigate any negative outcomes from active choices, reassuring customers and demonstrating that action-based decisions are safe. Excellent post-action support strongly encourages future active engagement and customer confidence.
- Effort: Decision-making complexity intensifies omission bias. Brands should minimize cognitive effort by clearly recommending beneficial default options, simplifying active decisions, and making beneficial choices feel intuitive and effortless. Effortless decision-making reduces anxiety, overcoming customers' inertia caused by fear of active decisions.
- Emotions: The emotional fear of regret drives omission bias powerfully. CX must proactively manage customer emotions, reassuring customers that active choices are safe and beneficial. Empathetic and emotionally intelligent communications reduce anxiety and reinforce customers’ emotional comfort with making active decisions, overcoming inertia and fostering long-term engagement.
Customer Experience Interfaces
Interfaces & touchpoints where it can be applied most efficiently
- Digital: Carefully design default settings, ensuring optimal beneficial actions require minimal effort, significantly overcoming customer hesitation due to omission bias.
- Voice: Offer gentle, reassuring guidance from customer service, clearly highlighting the risks of inaction and making beneficial choices seem safe, easy, and natural.
- Promo: Structure promotions to clearly demonstrate how inaction might lead to missed opportunities, gently nudging customers toward beneficial actions without inducing anxiety.
- Product: Create products with intuitive default options (automatic updates, smart presets), reducing the necessity for active customer decision-making and lowering anxiety about taking wrong actions.
- Shelf: Clearly indicate optimal, safe, or popular choices as defaults or recommendations, reducing customers' hesitation about actively selecting unfamiliar products.
Renascence Tip
Understanding Omission Bias empowers brands to design experiences that reduce customers’ decision anxiety and inertia. Effective CX teams strategically leverage default settings, clearly communicate risks associated with inaction, and provide reassuring guidance. Yet, brands must balance this carefully—overly coercive defaults or pushing too aggressively can harm trust and create resistance. Thoughtfully encouraging beneficial actions while respecting customer autonomy ensures both short-term success and long-term loyalty.
