drives massive industry transformation

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Zendesk, Inc. today released its annual Customer Experience (CX) Trends Report , the findings of which signal a rapid transition toward intelligent CX. In this era, the shift toward AI-powered services will create a huge divide between companies that use AI to create the best customer experiences and those that fail to implement—or worse, don’t adopt AI at all. Those with the ability to close this gap will completely transform CX, delivering personalization at scale and elevating service quality while driving down costs.

“We are living through the most significant inflection point we’ve ever seen in CX with the latest advances in AI,” said Adrian McDermott, Chief Technology Officer at Zendesk. “Companies will need to rethink the structure of everything from the technology their teams use to how they deliver support. Companies that thrive will shift to a much smarter CX strategy, using AI to manage volume, reduce costs, increase quality, and ultimately improve customer satisfaction.”

The report reveals that 70% of CX leaders globally are reimagining their customer journeys using tools like generative AI. This adoption has real benefits: 83% of CX leaders using generative AI in CX report a positive ROI , proving that these changes set a new standard for successful CX. The report also highlights some defining elements of the era of intelligent CX:

Chatbots are evolving into advanced digital agents: Generative AI and evolved chatbots are revolutionizing consumer interactions by facilitating personalized, instant, and interactive experiences.
Live, immersive interactions will redefine experiences: As consumers expect more engaging and interactive experiences, CX leaders will need to transition to tools like conversational commerce, live streaming, and voice.
CX leaders are the new drivers of data privacy: CX leaders, not IT, are the new drivers of data privacy, integrating security seamlessly into CX to provide protection and ease.
Chatbots evolve into advanced digital agents
Two-thirds of CX leaders worldwide believe that chatbots can build a stronger emotional connection with their customers. This is largely because AI chatbots have evolved into empowered digital agents, playing key roles in customer service and overall customer experience. Their ability to reflect brand styles and assess their customers’ feelings and desires allows them to deliver accurate, personalized responses.

The transformation of chatbots into digital agents aligns with rising expectations: globally, 68% of consumers believe that chatbots should have the same level of expertise and quality as number database highly trained human agents. Furthermore, more than half expect to soon interact with advanced bots for fast and immediate answers. Companies are understanding the importance of turning chatbots into digital agents and plan to increase their investments in AI to accelerate this process.

Live and immersive interactions redefine experiences
Consumers now expect more than just traditional support to truly improve their experiences. More than half of respondents worldwide believe the way they interact with a company will completely change within two years.

People are embracing conversational commerce (buying products using chat interactions) and turning to live-streamed sessions for immediate help with purchases. To keep pace with this shift, 72% of global CX leaders are partnering with third-party vendors and experts to implement conversational commerce. Brands are also turning to social media and influencers to make sales, an approach that attracts new consumers and caters to those who prefer to shop at home. 65% of global CX leaders believe that not leveraging tools like live-streaming that provide real-time support will lead to missed opportunities.

CX leaders are the new drivers of data privacy
Amid growing privacy concerns and increasing demands for AI-enhanced personalized experiences, data privacy is becoming a core responsibility for CX leaders. In fact, 77% of CX leaders consider themselves responsible for ensuring their customers’ data is secure. Another 83% say data protection and cybersecurity are top priorities in their customer service strategy.

Now that CX leaders are active drivers of data privacy decision-making processes, they are focused on providing solutions that protect data while facilitating personalized experiences and implementing AI. More than half of consumers feel they are constantly under threat of being scammed. When they see a company being proactive about data security, they are more likely to feel comfortable providing personal information, leading to greater trust and loyalty.