Truth & Character Thursdays

“How could anyone be so stupid as to trust a trader? The best thing I could do was pretend to others at Salomon that I had meant to screw the customer. People would respect that. That was called jamming. I had just jammed bonds, albeit unknowingly, for the first time. I had lost my innocence.” ― Michael Lewis

Business could be booming, but if you don’t keep one eye on the future, you could set yourself up for failure. Consumer preferences are changing, and organizations need to stay atop important trends lest they go the way of the T-Rex, the dodo, and Blockbuster.

To save your operations from extinction, we’ve gathered 92 customer service statistics from the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2025 and other sources to provide key insights into customer expectations, current and future trends, and the state of CX. Read on to gain insights to improve your customer experience (CX) and stay prepared for years to come.

The cost of bad CX

You don’t need to read a collection of stats to know that bad customer service can damage your business. But it’s easy to forget just how consequential it can be.

A bad experience doesn’t just annoy customers—it sends them running for the hills. They have access to virtually any business with a tap of a finger or a click of a mouse, so your customer service needs to be outstanding to retain today’s ever-impatient consumer. Here are some reasons why.

• 73% of consumers will switch to a competitor after multiple bad experiences. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 56% of consumers rarely complain about a negative customer experience—they quietly switch to a competitor instead. (Coveo)

• More than one-half of consumers will switch to a competitor after only one bad experience. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 79% of consumers would switch to a different company if they found out it had a better customer experience. (Hyken)

• 3 in 4 consumers say a bad interaction with a business can ruin their day. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Over one-half of all consumers feel increasingly stressed and exhausted when dealing with customer support. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Consumers will give companies 2.2 chances on average before switching to a competitor. (Hyken)

• 6 in 10 customer service agents say a lack of consumer data often causes negative experiences. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Only two negative experiences could lead to brand abandonment. (Coveo)

• Over one-half of customer service agents say that their organization’s approach to service can directly lead to negative customer experiences. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 4 in 10 agents say that when consumers cannot complete tasks on their own, they become angry. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 3 in 10 agents cannot reliably access customer information, leading to irritated customers. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

The rewards of an outstanding CX

Investing in good customer service and setting effective customer service objectives are some of the best ways to improve return on investment (ROI). Consumers will spend more—and more often—with businesses that deliver a good CX.

Tie your customer-centric initiatives to your bottom line and get familiar with these powerful data points.

• 3 in 4 consumers will spend more with businesses that provide a good CX. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Over half of consumers believe great customer service is more important than product price. (Hyken)

• 60% of consumers have purchased from a brand solely based on the service they expect to receive. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 87% of consumers trust a company or brand more if they provide an excellent customer experience. (Hyken)

• “Customer-obsessed” organizations reported 41% faster revenue growth than those at non-customer-obsessed organizations. (Forrester)

• Two-thirds of consumers who believe a business cares about their emotional state will likely become repeat customers. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 85% of consumers go out of their way to switch to a company that has better customer service. (Hyken)

• Customer-obsessed organizations reported 51% better customer retention than those at non-customer-obsessed organizations. (Forrester)

The power of personalization

Customers expect tailored experiences—like content that speaks directly to them, curated product suggestions based on search and purchase history, and custom support interactions. Businesses can deliver on these rising expectations by offering top-notch personalization, a powerful customer retention strategy that keeps consumers coming back.

Read up on just how important personalization can be for your business.

• 76% of customers expect personalization. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Brands that excel at personalization are 71% more likely to report improved customer loyalty. (Deloitte)

• 6 in 10 consumers believe businesses should use the data they collect about them to personalize their experiences. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Nearly 70% of organizations consider personalizing the CX a top priority. (Ascend2)

• Brands are increasing their personalization budget by 29% this year compared to last year. (Deloitte)

• 62% of consumers agree that personalized recommendations are better than general ones. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 77% of business leaders believe that deeper personalization leads to customer retention. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 79% of business leaders believe that service data is invaluable to driving personalization efforts. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 6 in 10 consumers notice and appreciate when they receive personalized recommendations. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 66% of business leaders believe personalization leads to lower customer acquisition costs. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Nearly two-thirds of consumers say they expect more personalized service with AI. (Zendesk)

• 91% of CX Trendsetters believe AI can effectively personalize experiences. (Zendesk)

• Only 22% of CX Traditionalists are actively investing in using AI to personalize the customer experience. (Zendesk)

• 56% of CX Trendsetters are actively investing in using AI to personalize the customer experience. (Zendesk)

Get acquainted with the Zendesk Blog to learn more about the power of personalization.

CX is evolving and prompting businesses to make key decisions

The customer experience is changing by the day. Businesses have realized CX is a key differentiator in building a sizable market share and bolstering customer loyalty, which has led to rapid investments in customer service initiatives and new technologies.

From phone support to expanded services, here’s how some top businesses are allocating their CX budgets and managing customer expectations.

• Contrary to past trends, 71% of Gen Z would now reach out to customer support via a live phone call. (McKinsey & Company)

• 80% of companies plan to increase their level of investment in CX. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 35% of companies plan to invest more in adding service across channels. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 80% of organizations expect to compete with each other based on CX. (Gartner)

• Only 3% of companies are currently customer-obsessed and put their customers’ needs front and center. (Forrester)

• 62% of customers think experiences should flow naturally between both physical and digital spaces. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 72% of leaders believe merging teams and responsibilities around the customer experience will increase operational efficiencies. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 70% of customers expect anyone they interact with to have the full context of their situation. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• In 2024, elite brands evoke 25 positive emotions for each negative emotion, down from 29 the previous year. (Forrester)

• In 2024, the average effectiveness of customer experiences fell to 64%. (Forrester)

• 37% of business leaders say cost is a key priority when providing customer service across channels. (McKinsey & Company)

• Organizations that value customer satisfaction with growth, margin, and profitability are more likely to report customer successes, and 29% are more likely to secure CX budgets. (Gartner)

Read the Zendesk Blog to get up-to-date on the changing customer service trends.

The rise of AI in CX

Businesses are quickly realizing AI can improve the customer experience, help streamline operations, and deliver more customer value. Advanced bots like AI agents can expertly assist customers and resolve even the most complex query from start to finish. Meanwhile, AI-powered customer service quality assurance can automatically pinpoint areas of improvement and help teams identify customer churn risks and escalations.

Capabilities like these are changing the CX landscape—here are a few figures that detail where the marketplace is headed.

• 81% of consumers believe AI has become part of modern customer service. (Zendesk)

• Two-thirds of business leaders say investments in customer service AI result in significant performance improvements. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Nearly 8 in 10 consumers say AI bots are helpful for simple issues. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 46% of financial institutions using artificial intelligence have reported an improved customer experience. (NVIDIA)

• 62% of CX leaders feel pressure to use generative AI. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 43% of customers are excited about using generative AI. (Boston Consulting Group)

• 70% of consumers believe a clear gap exists between companies that leverage AI effectively in customer service and those that don’t. (Zendesk)

• 68% of consumers are more trusting of AI agents that exhibit human-like traits. (Zendesk)

• 59% of CX Traditionalists want to become more AI-driven in the next year. (Zendesk)

• In the next two years, 70% of CX leaders plan to integrate generative AI into many of their touchpoints. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 80% of businesses plan to invest in generative AI. (McKinsey & Company)

• 70% of CX leaders believe generative AI is making every digital customer interaction more efficient. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 75% of consumers who have interacted with generative AI believe it will completely change how they interact with companies in the next two years. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 56% of CX leaders are actively exploring generative AI vendors for CX. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 72% of CX leaders believe that AI agents should be an extension of the brand’s identity, reflecting its values and voice. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 70% of CX leaders believe that AI agents are becoming skilled architects of highly personalized customer journeys. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Nearly 7 in 10 consumers believe that more natural-sounding AI via phone would enhance their experience. (Zendesk)

• 60% of consumers want companies to adopt advanced Voice AI technologies. (Zendesk)

• 75% of consumers are in favor of agents using AI to help draft responses. (Zendesk)

• Support agents who use AI copilots are 20% more likely to feel empowered to do their job well. (Zendesk)

• 90% of CX Trendsetters report positive ROI on AI tools for agents. (Zendesk)

• 70% of global CEOs think that generative AI will significantly change the way their companies deliver and capture value within the next three years. (PwC)

• Nearly 60% of global CEOs think generative AI will improve their company’s products and services within the next 12 months. (PwC)

Check out the Zendesk Blog to learn more about the impact of AI technology, such as AI agents.

The future of CX

By now, it should be clear that businesses must adopt AI to keep pace in the marketplace. However, with that adoption comes key considerations, like the type of AI tools they want to adopt and how they can empower their teams to use them effectively.

Above all, customer data protection has never been more paramount. Teams must follow cybersecurity best practices to ensure consumer and business data remains secure in our increasingly technological world. Read up on how to stay safe and agile in the future of CX.

• CX Trendsetters adopt key AI tools nearly four times more than Traditionalists. (Zendesk)

• 93% of CX Trendsetters believe using AI copilots is a great way to get customers and agents comfortable with AI. (Zendesk)

• 90% of CX Trendsetters believe that Voice AI is ushering in the next era of voice-driven customer service interactions. (Zendesk)

• By 2027, 87% of CX Trendsetters plan to use AI assistants across the customer journey. (Zendesk)

• 67% of consumers are eager to use personal AI assistants for tasks like handling customer service issues. (Zendesk)

• 90% of CX Trendsetters think AI will resolve 8 in 10 issues without a human within the next few years. (Zendesk)

• Early adopters are 128% more likely to report high ROI from their AI tools in CX. (Zendesk)

• The customer experience management market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.4% from 2023 to 2030. (Grand View Research)

• 57% of business leaders expect customer service call volumes to increase by as much as one-fifth over the next 1-2 years. (McKinsey & Company)

• 62% of CX leaders feel behind in providing more instant experiences that customers expect. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 70% of organizations are actively investing in technologies and tools that automatically capture and analyze intent signals. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 51% of consumers say they prefer interacting with bots over humans when they want immediate service. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 83% of CX leaders say DAA protection and cybersecurity are top priorities in their customer service strategies. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• Only 28% of CX leaders report that their teams have advanced knowledge about data privacy best practices. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 75% of CX leaders are actively collaborating with external partners or vendors to evolve customer data privacy in their CX operations. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 74% of CX leaders say they have detailed strategic plans to counteract digital deception and fraud in their CX operations. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 56% of CX leaders admit their organization experienced a data breach or cyber attack targeting customer data in the past year. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 83% of CX leaders think their customers trust their data security efforts. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 60% of consumers think businesses are falling short in data security. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 78% of CX leaders agree that ignoring encryption in customer service exchanges leaves customer data vulnerable. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 80% of CX leaders believe customers may feel violated if they don’t understand how businesses use their data. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 70% of consumers won’t purchase a product or service from a company they view as having lackluster security measures. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

• 80% of consumers expect chat agents and support representatives to assist them with everything they need. (Zendesk Benchmark data)

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