Stop Trying to Make Things Faster: Reframe the Problem

Every business owner or service provider knows this struggle; clients constantly expect more. Faster responses, quicker results, higher returns. They wanted everything yesterday.

And I get it. We live in a world of instant gratification. You can order food, groceries, or even a car with a single tap. Packages arrive in hours, entertainment streams in seconds, and our patience as a society? Pretty much gone.

So, when people ask me, How do we lower client expectations?, my honest answer is: you can’t.

The Futility of Fighting Speed

It’s nearly impossible to convince people to want less speed. We’ve been conditioned for decades to expect everything instantly. It’s embedded in our culture, our habits, and even our business models.

Trying to fight that reality is like trying to make water flow uphill.

But what if the real solution isn’t about speed at all? What if we’re asking the wrong question?

Reframe the Question

Instead of asking, “How can we make this faster?”, we should be asking, “How can we make this better?”

That simple reframing changes everything.

Because when you focus on better, you open up new possibilities for innovation, creativity, and customer delight that can actually differentiate your business.

The Train Story

The marketer Rory Sutherland shared a brilliant story that captures this perfectly.

Years ago, the UK government was exploring ways to reduce the train journey from London to Paris by a few minutes. The plan? Spend billions on new infrastructure to make the train just a little bit faster.

But Rory proposed something completely different. He said, instead of spending billions to make the trip faster, spend a fraction of that money on making the ride more enjoyable.

Imagine hiring attractive staff to serve champagne, providing luxury experiences, entertainment, and comfort. Suddenly, people wouldn’t care about saving time; they'd actually want the journey to last longer.

That’s the power of reframing.

Experience Beats Speed

Speed has diminishing returns. You can spend enormous amounts of money trying to shave a few seconds or minutes off a process, but it doesn’t necessarily make your customers happier.

Experience, on the other hand, creates emotion. It makes people remember you. It turns a transaction into something meaningful.

When you enhance the quality of the experience, how your product feels, how your service delights, how your brand connects speed becomes less important. People are willing to wait a little longer for something that feels special.

Customer Shifting Expectations

So instead of trying to lower client expectations for speed, shift what they expect altogether.

Show them that the real value comes from quality, creativity, and care not how quickly you deliver. Help them appreciate a better experience rather than a faster one.

That’s where true satisfaction lives. That’s how you build loyalty and long-term trust.

So next time someone asks, “Can we make this faster?”, try replying with, “What if we made it better?”

Because when you design an experience people love, they stop counting the minutes and start enjoying the journey.

The Real Competitive Edge

The race to be faster is endless and often expensive.
You can spend millions improving systems, only to shave off a few seconds. The ROI rarely matches the effort.

But reframing toward experience creates value that compounds.
Customers talk about it. They come back. They stay loyal.

And here’s the kicker: when you focus on experience, people often perceive it as faster because they’re engaged, entertained, or delighted during the wait.

Final Thoughts

In a world obsessed with speed, the real differentiator isn’t how fast you deliver, it's how good it feels to engage with you.

Next time a client demands something “faster,” take a breath and ask:

“What if we made it better instead?”

Because sometimes, slowing down to craft a richer experience is the smartest move you can make.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Why do clients always expect things to be faster?

Clients always expect things to be faster because technology has made everything instant food, rides, messages, and deliveries. People now assume all services should work at that same pace, which has trained them to expect immediate results in every area of life and business.

Q2. What happens when we try to compete purely on speed?

Competing only on speed often leads to burnout, mistakes, and lower quality. It becomes a race you can never win because someone will always find a faster way. Speed without experience doesn’t create loyalty, it just creates pressure.

Q3. How can a business shift its message from “fast” to “better”?

Focus your story on value, creativity, and care. Explain what makes your product or service special, not just quick. When customers see the benefit of better outcomes, they appreciate the process and stop obsessing over time.

Q4. Isn’t speed still important in serving clients?

Yes, but only to a reasonable level. Once you meet basic expectations, adding more speed rarely changes satisfaction. What truly matters is the quality, connection, and trust you build during the experience.

Q5. How do you design an experience that makes waiting feel less important?

Engage your customers during the process through updates, storytelling, or added touches that surprise and delight. When people feel involved, the waiting time feels shorter and more enjoyable.

About the Author:

Shawn Kanungo is a globally recognized disruption strategist and keynote speaker who helps organizations adapt to change and leverage disruptive thinking. Named one of the "Best New Speakers" by the National Speakers Bureau, Shawn has spoken at some of the world's most innovative organizations, including IBM, Walmart, and 3M. His expertise in digital disruption strategies helps leaders navigate transformation and build resilience in an increasingly uncertain business environment.