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.

The Evidence

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.

The Evidence

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.

The Evidence

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.

Affected Problems

Check the problems below the bias can help you fix in customer experience

Features

Price

Time

Experience

Omission bias can be effectively utilized to reduce the anxiety associated with taking action, which is closely linked to the concept of defaults. By setting favorable default options, individuals can avoid the stress of making an active choice, thereby easing decision-making processes and improving overall satisfaction. This approach leverages the natural tendency to favor inaction over action, helping to create smoother and more comfortable user experiences.

Efficiency

Omission bias reduces efficiency because a fear of doing something causes inaction which can result in delays in release of products or service. This results in poor customer experience.

These should appear once a challenges is submitted

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Customer Experience Pillars

Here I need 10 horizontal dots, the ones that empty can't be clicked, others that are lit (blue color) can be clicked and content shows. A small text. Each dot has a name like Recognition, Integrity, expectations etc.

We should have two rows - one for Higher Order Needs and the other one for Lower Order Needs

Challenges

Customer Experience Pillars

Application Touchpoints

Interfaces where it can be applied most efficiently

Instruction for below blog

In the blog below, it would lead to our normal blog, with regular page structure, but once a blog article is published we should have an option to check if it's a bias realted USE CASE. Then it attributes it to this bias and lead the traffic to a generated page which has only posts / USE CASES related to this bias.

Behavioral Blog

Use Cases

Check the use cases to inspire the application of this behavioral bias

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Msheireb Downtown Doha. Customer Loyalty Program Experience Journeys

We revamped Msheireb's loyalty program by redesigning tailored customer journeys for residential tenants, visitors, and commercial tenants. This project included mapping out key stages—such as discovery, lease, and renewal—across all segments to enhance engagement and ease of use. Each journey was captured in an animated video to illustrate the improved CX flow, ensuring a seamless and satisfying loyalty program experience.
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Msheireb Downtown Doha. Customer Loyalty Program Strategy

We developed a comprehensive loyalty program for Msheireb Properties in Qatar to boost customer retention and drive revenue. The program featured a 9-stage customer journey, segmented by customer archetypes, and incorporated a closed-loop feedback strategy using NPS, CSAT, and CES surveys. Key initiatives included defining member levels, benefits, and a phased implementation plan to enhance customer experience and program viability.
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Teyaseer. Elevating CX with Real-Time Customer Feedback Integration

For Teyaseer, we mapped a 9-stage customer journey from awareness to handover, integrating NPS, CSAT, and CES surveys to capture real-time feedback via email, SMS, and calls. Automated triggers ensured timely feedback collection, enabling immediate insights and actions to enhance CX at each touchpoint.
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Aldar Hospitality. A Comprehensive Approach to Customer Experience (CX)

Aldar Properties sought to enhance customer experience across five hotels from their hospitality portfolio. Analysis of touchpoints, design of journeys and playbooks, COVID-19 game plan and other efforts led to immediate improvements in service interactions and long-term strategies for boosting guest satisfaction and loyalty.
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Aldar Education. Transforming Customer Experience (CX) through the Admissions Process

Aldar Academies revamped their admissions process by assessing the existing workflow and designing a more efficient future process. This overhaul reduced process time by 88 hours, cut complexity by 3%, decreased effort by 34%, and increased automation tenfold, streamlining operations and enhancing overall efficiency.
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Aldar Academies. Designing Escalation Strategy for Education

Aldar Academies developed a comprehensive escalation strategy to enhance customer support operations. This strategy introduced an 8-level priority system, 4 escalation stages, and a detailed escalation matrix to streamline case management and ensure timely resolution of issues.
No items found.

Wasl. Voice of Customer (VOC) Strategy Development

Implemented a comprehensive Voice of Customer (VOC) strategy for Wasl, analyzing four distinct customer types and covering 100+ touchpoints across customer journeys. A closed feedback loop was established to drive continuous customer insights, enhance service delivery, and improve overall satisfaction.
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Wasl. Customer Experience (CX) Journey Mapping in Real Estate

Defined over 90 stages and developed 18 detailed customer journeys for Wasl, spanning residential, commercial, and land leasing categories. Conducted four workshops to align stakeholders on improving customer-centric experiences and optimizing processes for future journey enhancements.
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Wasl Mobile App & Self-Service Digital Transformation

Developed over 500 wireframes and conducted a comprehensive audit of 300+ screens to optimize Wasl’s digital platforms. Created two digital strategies to streamline user journeys, focusing on a super app versus specialized apps to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.
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Wasl. Customer Service Design for Real Estate

Renascence conducted a comprehensive customer service analysis for Wasl, a leading real estate developer in Dubai, to drive digital transformation and enhance customer experience through data segmentation, pain point identification, and strategic recommendations.
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Swarovski. Boosting retail CX through mystery shopping strategy & audits

Explore how Swarovski leverages mystery shopping insights to refine customer experiences (CX) and encourage positive shopping behaviors through targeted engagement strategies.
No items found.

Nudging customers to book services and attend their ladies salon appointments

The goal of the project was to encourage customers to make bookings after calling & improve attendances of all bookings made.
Zeigarnik Effect

Emaar Properties. Transforming conversion power, experience & design of a property sales kiosk

Emaar asked us to check how effective their current kiosk was and come up with a set of improvement or a model that can become a benchmark amongst property sales kiosks.
Zeigarnik Effect

Chalhoub Group. Transforming internal culture through a group-wide CX Academy

Our engagement with Chalhoub Group was about educating several retail brands on the importance of CX and showcasing an approach to customer experience design.
Zeigarnik Effect

Reel Cinemas. Complementing journeys & operations with a new cinema info screen UI

Reel Cinemas decided to transform the space, revamp operations by digitising them & reducing the human factor. The new screen was supposed to complement the transformation.
Zeigarnik Effect

Chalhoub Group. Putting customer experience in the center of fashion & beauty retail

Supporting Chalhoub Group in building a CX practice that would then take over the group's customer experience intiative and arming them with a bullet-proof cx design toolkit
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City Walk by Meraas: Defining what a shopping & leisure destination of the future is

How one would define a destination of the future? How can a group manage multiple destinations of different formats and consistently deliver to a range of customers?
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Transforming group-wide customer experience in Emaar Properties

Multiple departments, multiple business verticals, 18 months of engagement and many great products
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Level Shoes Behavioral & Customer Experience Transformation

Our efforts were aimed at understanding the customer and the way he shops in the fast-paced retail environment to build a cutting edge experience around him.
Sunk Cost Fallacy

Dubai Properties Real Estate Customer Experience Transformation

From signing a SPA, through the journey of becoming a homeowner in Dubai
Sunk Cost Fallacy

Provis & Khidmah: Designing & refreshing the complaint escalation matrix

As part of the engagement we were tasked to define the complaint management approach: deliver the escalation matrix with cases, SLAs, roles & priorities.
Sunk Cost Fallacy

Aldar Group Customer Experience Transformation

The engagement was driven by the group management. The effort was aimed at making Aldar a company that is driven by customer-centric solutions and services
No items found.

Emaar Customer Happiness Center CX Design & Transformation

The goal of the project was to understand how well the customer happiness center supports, guides, navigates & satisfies customers
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Transforming Free Zone Customer Journeys, Processeses and Systems

We redesigned all processes from the ground up with a customer centric approach to enable a new improved customer journey.
No items found.

Renascence Advice

When addressing omission bias in customer engagement, it is crucial to balance its reduction with potential drawbacks. Mitigating omission bias can enhance decision-making and improve customer experience by encouraging proactive behavior. However, if not managed properly, it can lead to decision fatigue and reduce customer satisfaction. To avoid these issues, present options in a way that clearly highlights the benefits of taking action. Ensure that the advantages of engagement are prominently displayed, making the decision process easier for the customer. Providing clear, concise information and framing choices positively can help guide customers towards beneficial actions without overwhelming them. This approach fosters a balanced and informed decision-making environment, enhancing overall customer satisfaction and trust.

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