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Dive Brief:
Customers see AI at work in marketing emails, advertising and customer service interactions, but that doesn’t mean they’re all that accepting of it. Only one-quarter of consumers say they like or love AI in customer service, according to a Hubspot and SurveyMonkey survey of 1,800 business leaders and 15,000 consumers across seven global markets, released Monday.
Just over half of consumers — 53% — actively dislike or hate AI’s use in service interactions. Four in five say they’d prefer human support even if the outcome and wait time are the same.
“This widespread aversion suggests that current AI applications often fail to meet customer expectations for empathy, nuance and genuine connection,” Zoe Padgett, senior research scientist at SurveyMonkey, said via email. “Rather than seeing AI as a helpful tool, many customers perceive it as a barrier, leading to frustration and a feeling that their unique concerns aren’t truly understood.”
Dive Insight:
Despite the growing prevalence of AI in customer service, customers still want to be able to talk to a human.
“While younger consumers are slightly more open to the technology, the preference for human interaction and support remains steadfast,” Padgett said. “This tells us that a one-size-fits-all AI strategy will likely fall short.”
Klarna’s customer strategy is a case in point. After going all in on an AI chatbot and reducing its workforce, the buy now, pay later firm began hiring customer service employees again this May. A spokesperson for the company told CX Dive that they want customers to always have the option to speak to a human.
“AI gives us speed. Talent gives us empathy,” a spokesperson told CX Dive at the time.
While AI can provide fast responses, some customers don’t see speed as paramount when it comes to their interactions with a company. A Five9 survey from March found that the vast majority of customers — 86% — say empathy and human connection are more important than a quick response in providing excellent customer experience.
That’s especially the case with complex or sensitive issues for which customers appreciate the reassurance offered by speaking to another human, experts told CX Dive. Even just knowing a human representative is available can reduce anxiety in customers stressed by self-service encounters, a recent study found.
The key is balancing human and AI support and providing a clear path to human support, experts say.
Consumers say maintaining human interactions and strong customer relationships are the top two ways brands could gain or maintain trust in an AI-centric world, Padgett said.
“Businesses should deploy AI to handle low-complexity, routine tasks, freeing up human agents to focus on high-stakes, emotionally charged interactions,” Padgett said. “The goal isn’t to replace humans with AI, but to use AI to enhance the human experience — allowing teams to provide the empathetic, clear, and valuable support that customers consistently prefer.”