AI and the Empathy Gap: Finding the Balance between AI and Human First Customer Experience
Verizon (NYSE:VZ) has released its CX Annual Insights report highlighting the critical balance between AI and human interaction in customer experience. The study, surveying 5,000 consumers and 500 executives across seven countries, reveals a significant preference for human-led interactions, with 88% customer satisfaction for human agents compared to 60% for AI-driven interactions.
The report identifies key challenges, including the frustration with AI-to-human handoffs (47% of consumers), and a concerning trend in personalization where 30% of consumers report degraded experiences. Data privacy remains a critical concern, with 65% of executives citing privacy rules as a limitation for AI implementation and 54% of consumers reporting decreased trust in data handling.
Verizon (NYSE:VZ) ha pubblicato il rapporto CX Annual Insights, che mette in luce l'importanza di bilanciare l'IA con l'interazione umana nell'esperienza cliente. Lo studio, condotto su 5.000 consumatori e 500 dirigenti in sette Paesi, mostra una netta preferenza per le interazioni gestite da operatori umani: 88% di soddisfazione dei clienti per gli agenti umani contro il 60% ottenuto dalle soluzioni basate sull'IA.
Il rapporto individua le principali criticità, tra cui il fastidio causato dai passaggi dall'IA all'operatore umano (47% dei consumatori) e un allarme nella personalizzazione, con il 30% dei consumatori che segnala esperienze peggiorate. La privacy dei dati resta un tema cruciale: 65% dei dirigenti indica le norme sulla privacy come un limite all'implementazione dell'IA e il 54% dei consumatori dichiara di aver perso fiducia nella gestione dei propri dati.
Verizon (NYSE:VZ) ha publicado su informe CX Annual Insights, que destaca la necesidad de equilibrar la IA con la interacción humana en la experiencia del cliente. El estudio, que encuestó a 5.000 consumidores y 500 directivos en siete países, revela una clara preferencia por las interacciones humanas: 88% de satisfacción del cliente con agentes humanos frente al 60% de las interacciones impulsadas por IA.
El informe identifica desafíos clave, como la frustración con las transiciones de la IA al personal humano (47% de los consumidores), y una tendencia preocupante en la personalización, con un 30% de los consumidores que reportan experiencias empeoradas. La privacidad de los datos sigue siendo una preocupación central: 65% de los directivos cita las normas de privacidad como una limitación para implementar IA y el 54% de los consumidores informa una disminución de la confianza en el manejo de sus datos.
Verizon (NYSE:VZ)이 고객 경험(CX) 연례 인사이트 보고서를 발표했습니다. 이 보고서는 고객 경험에서 인공지능(AI)과 사람 간 상호작용의 균형이 얼마나 중요한지를 강조합니다. 7개국에서 5,000명 소비자와 500명 임원을 대상으로 한 조사 결과, 사람 중심의 상호작용을 선호하는 경향이 뚜렷하게 나타났으며, 인간 상담원에 대한 고객 만족도는 88%인 반면 AI 기반 상호작용은 60%에 머물렀습니다.
보고서는 AI에서 사람으로의 전환 시 발생하는 불만(47%의 소비자) 등 주요 과제를 지적하고 있으며, 개인화 측면에서는 30%의 소비자가 경험이 악화되었다고 응답한 점을 우려하고 있습니다. 데이터 프라이버시는 여전히 심각한 문제로 남아 있으며, 65%의 임원이 프라이버시 규제를 AI 도입의 제약으로 꼽았고 54%의 소비자는 데이터 처리에 대한 신뢰가 줄었다고 보고했습니다.
Verizon (NYSE:VZ) a publié son rapport CX Annual Insights, qui souligne l'équilibre essentiel entre l'IA et l'interaction humaine dans l'expérience client. L'étude, menée auprès de 5 000 consommateurs et 500 dirigeants dans sept pays, révèle une nette préférence pour les interactions humaines, avec 88% de satisfaction client pour les agents humains contre 60% pour les interactions pilotées par l'IA.
Le rapport identifie des défis majeurs, notamment la frustration liée aux transferts de l'IA vers un interlocuteur humain (47% des consommateurs), et une tendance préoccupante en matière de personnalisation, 30% des consommateurs signalant une dégradation des expériences. La confidentialité des données reste une préoccupation centrale : 65% des dirigeants citent les règles de confidentialité comme une limite à l'implémentation de l'IA et 54% des consommateurs déclarent une baisse de confiance dans le traitement de leurs données.
Verizon (NYSE:VZ) hat seinen CX Annual Insights-Bericht veröffentlicht, der die entscheidende Balance zwischen KI und menschlicher Interaktion im Kundenerlebnis betont. Die Studie, die 5.000 Verbraucher und 500 Führungskräfte in sieben Ländern befragte, zeigt eine deutliche Präferenz für menschlich geführte Interaktionen: 88% Kundenzufriedenheit bei menschlichen Agenten gegenüber 60% bei KI-gestützten Interaktionen.
Der Bericht benennt zentrale Herausforderungen, darunter die Frustration bei KI-zu-Mensch-Übergaben (47% der Verbraucher), sowie einen besorgniserregenden Trend bei der Personalisierung, wonach 30% der Verbraucher verschlechterte Erfahrungen melden. Datenschutz bleibt ein zentrales Anliegen: 65% der Führungskräfte sehen Datenschutzvorgaben als Einschränkung für die KI-Einführung, und 54% der Verbraucher berichten von sinkendem Vertrauen in den Umgang mit ihren Daten.
- None.
- Low satisfaction rate (60%) with AI-driven customer interactions
- 30% of consumers report personalization efforts are detracting from experience
- 54% of consumers show declining trust in companies' handling of personal data
- 47% of consumers frustrated with AI-to-human handoff process
NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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 actually 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 only60% 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 interactions is the inability to speak or chat with a live human agent when needed. Nearly half of all consumers (
47% ) cited this as their top annoyance. Brands themselves recognize this, with a similar percentage of executives reporting this as the main complaint they receive about AI-enabled interactions. - The Personalization Paradox: Despite personalization being a top AI use case for brands, most consumers aren't seeing the benefits. In fact, more consumers said personalization has detracted from their overall experience (
30% ) than improved it (26% ). A significant factor is data privacy, with65% of executives stating that data privacy rules limit their ability to use AI for personalization. This is a critical issue as54% of consumers report a decline in their trust in companies to use their personal data properly.
"The future of CX isn't about AI replacing humans; it's about using AI to make human interactions better," says Daniel Lawson, SVP, Global Solutions at Verizon Business. "Businesses that use AI to preempt customer needs, empower their employees, and enhance personalization while respecting privacy will be the market leaders of tomorrow."
Bridging the Gap: Real-World Examples of AI That Works
AI is being successfully leveraged by companies to enhance team capabilities and improve customer experience, rather than to replace human input.
- The Power of Proactive Help: As outlined in the Insights Report, energy utility company Exelon is a prime example. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the company used AI and predictive analytics to identify middle-income households that might have trouble paying their energy bills. This enabled them to proactively reach out with personalized recommendations for assistance programs, earning customer appreciation and proving that AI can solve real-world problems with a human-centric approach.
- AI as an Agent's Assistant: Instead of being used to replace human agents, AI is being used to make them more effective. Exelon is piloting generative AI to help its customer service representatives handle calls more efficiently by providing the right data at the right time and summarizing calls, which eases the agent’s burden. This aligns with the report's finding that companies are now equally prioritizing investments in both human and AI-driven CX improvements.
About the Report:
Now in its 5th year, Verizon’s CX Annual Insights report was conducted by Longitude, a Financial Times company. It is based on a survey of 5,000 consumers and 500 senior business executives across the US, Australia, Japan, UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The surveys were carried out in October and November 2024.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of
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Media contact:
Carlos Arcila
carlos.arcila@verizon.com
908-202-0479
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