AI and the Empathy Gap: Finding the balance between AI and human-first customer experience

While brands are celebrating AI-driven efficiency gains in customer experience (CX), a significant gap exists between their internal benefits and the often underwhelming service that consumers are experiencing. According to Verizon’s CX Annual Insights report, the future of CX isn’t just about implementing AI, but about strategically integrating it to amplify human connections and address core customer frustrations.

The report, based on a survey of 5,000 consumers and 500 senior executives across seven countries, reveals a critical disconnect:

• Human Touch Still Reigns Supreme: A striking 88% of consumers are satisfied with interactions handled mostly or fully by human agents, while only 60% feel the same about interactions driven by AI. This preference highlights a fundamental truth: AI’s efficiency cannot replace the empathy and trust that a human provides.
• The Biggest Frustration: The Human Hand-Off: The single biggest source of consumer frustration with automated ...