Has AI Raised The Expectations Of Customer Service?

Halfway through 2024, it became apparent that AI was firmly here to stay. 

That is, in the business world, every provider of software has bought into a future where bolting on or including artificial intelligence in some form would improve their solution and your experience. 

Coupled with this, we are reliably informed that customer expectations are higher than ever and we have a future where AI will help meet those ever-increasing demands.

As we pass the halfway mark in 2025—a full year on from when there was no longer any benefit in denying AI—what is the state of customer service now that many businesses have adopted AI for coaching, workforce management, and self-service?

There are two main questions to address in this post:

• Do customers actually expect more?
• Is AI helping or hindering?

Let’s start by understanding what customers (the people these solutions are designed to help) think about AI and whether we’re on the right track or not.

How do consumers feel about AI?

The Zendesk Trend Report highlights that consumers are pro-AI:

Accepting these data points, it stands to reason that no customer-facing businesses (with very few edge cases) can afford to ignore implementing some form of AI as part of their customer service strategy.

Failure to do so could have catastrophic ramifications:

• 90% of customers regard an immediate reply as essential.
• 71% expect real-time responses in chat or calls.
• Operating without AI costs up to 20× more per contact.

Opting to remain human-first for every type of customer service inquiry makes no sense when customers are clued up enough to know there’s a more efficient alternative.

However, there are also repercussions for poorly implemented AI in customer service:

• 70% of consumers would switch brands after just one bad AI experience.
• 53% would consider switching to a competitor if they discovered a company was going to use AI for customer service without proper implementation.
• 55% of customers feel frustrated when chatbots ask too many questions, while 47% struggle to get accurate answers.

While these research points show that customers value speed and experience over human interactions, can we genuinely say this is different to a pre-AI requirement of customer service?

After all, if you asked customers their top requirements ten years ago, who wouldn’t have said speed and experience? Personally, I’ve always wanted the phone/chat answered ASAP and a smooth interaction. Haven’t you?

Customers know the bare minimum is easy to achieve

Expectations haven’t changed that much. So what has changed?

Customers are now more aware that the bare minimum is easy to achieve. 

Defining the bare minimum of customer service

Consumers have so many touchpoints in their personal and business lives that require some form of customer service process.

This ranges from calling to pay a bill and being able to pay a bill efficiently (self-service, auto attendants, etc.) through to more complex things like logging a broadband fault and it getting dealt with by someone who knows what they’re on about without being transferred around the houses (IVR, FCR, skills-based routing, etc.)

In both these scenarios, the expectation is:

1. There is no/little wait time before answering.
2. When the call gets answered, you can achieve what you set out to do.
3. If you need help, it’s available from a competent source.

If the person tasked with refining your customer journey is surprised by any of this, you have bigger problems than AI.

Customers phone other companies and use their live chat. They’re used to dealing with bots for navigation before getting through to a human. And they prefer it over waiting 10 minutes to get through to someone in the wrong department.

Getting caught up with “raised expectations”

The phrases customer experience and customer satisfaction have led some of us to believe that customers are more demanding than ever.

They want this and they want that. Oh, and they want it now.

They wanted this before. We simply didn’t deliver it.

Now, there’s little excuse not to. We’re not talking about overdelivering or even “delighting customers”. AI may help us get there in the future. But the majority of customers are still fighting for whatever they called for to be resolved efficiently.

Can AI actually help with customer service expectations?

Of course it can. But only if implemented correctly and with the customer’s genuine needs at the heart of it.

This doesn’t mean:

• Rolling out a one-size-fits-all chatbot that can only spew generic FAQs, leaving customers stuck in dead-end loops.
• Replacing every human touchpoint so users have no escape hatch to a real person when issues get complicated or emotive.
• Treating AI as a “set-and-forget” gadget instead of a living system that needs ongoing training, performance checks, and ethical oversight.

But it does mean:

• Automating routine, low-complexity queries so human agents can focus on nuanced problems, empathy, and relationship-building.
• Orchestrating seamless hand-offs: when an AI hits its limits, context is carried over instantly to a human rep.
• Delivering relevant, opt-in personalization: suggestions based on expressed preferences and real behaviors, never on speculative or intrusive profiling.
• Offering true 24/7 availability with instant, accurate answers that respect language, accessibility, and channel preferences.
• Embedding continuous learning loops: real-time feedback from agents and customers feeds back into model retraining, ensuring the system evolves with user needs.

This means there is some work to do. Despite AI standing for artificial intelligence, that intelligence needs hand-holding and pointing in the right direction.

Conclusion: Has AI raised the expectations of customer service?

The expectations remain the same. But AI makes it significantly easier to achieve what customers care about the most.

That said, only the AI implementations conducted in a professional manner, with guardrails, coaching, and continuous improvement will achieve what customers are truly craving.

With every contact center, we firmly believe that AI can help accelerate better customer experiences. But don’t blindly put your faith in an LLM and leave it to its own devices.

As AI becomes not just an enabler of customer service but the backbone behind self-service and automation, it pays to be in the hands of experienced IT folks.

We’re Cloud Revolution, the Microsoft partner of the year 2023 (and finalist 22, 24).

We take care of everything for you:

• Expert Facilitation: Our experienced team will guide you through your entire AI program, ensuring best practices are followed and accurate results are obtained.
• Goal-Oriented Approach: We work with you to define clear objectives aligned with your organization’s needs, providing a solid foundation for the program and justifying its importance.
• Leadership Buy-in: We help secure sponsorship from key stakeholders throughout your organization, fostering participation and diverse perspectives from different departments.
• Resource Allocation: We assist in allocating the necessary time, resources, and budget for the program, ensuring its success and seamless integration with your existing projects.
• Defined Use Cases: We collaborate with you to identify and test the specific use cases relevant to your customer, ranging from bill payments and insurance claims to product troubleshooting and escalations.
• Microsoft Support: Throughout the pilot, we leverage Microsoft’s dedicated resources, including training classes and technical documentation, to address any questions or unexpected situations that may arise.
• Analysis and Implementation Planning: Our program committee analyzes the outcomes, carefully considering any limitations or integration challenges.
• Next Steps: Based on the findings, we collaborate with you to define the next steps for a successful full implementation plan.

Want to take the right steps with AI?

Book your free consultation with one of our experts.