Most Customers Still Want to Speak With a Human, Survey Finds
Seventy-nine percent of customers prefer talking to a person rather than a chatbot, according to a SurveyMonkey study. The finding undercuts the business case for replacing human agents with automation.
The same survey revealed deeper problems with how companies have deployed chatbots. Fifty-six percent of respondents reported negative experiences using AI for help. Eighty-four percent said human representatives provided more accurate information than chatbots.
Nearly 89% of customers want the option to reach a human agent at any time.
The Real Problem: Poor Implementation
The issue isn't the technology itself. Many companies load a chatbot with FAQ content and call it customer service, leaving customers trapped in loops of canned responses before eventually transferring them to a human anyway.
By that point, frustration has built up. The human agent inherits an already irritated customer, making resolution harder.
Forrester projects that within two years, roughly one in ten businesses will damage customer relationships through poorly executed AI.
Where AI Works: Behind the Scenes
Rather than replacing agents, companies can use AI for pre-call preparation, post-call documentation, and triage. Pairing AI-assisted triage with human agents can cut average resolution time by 30%, according to Zendesk data.
Small businesses have a particular advantage here. Large corporations can absorb a dip in customer satisfaction for steep automation savings. Smaller firms handling a few dozen calls a week cannot.
By keeping people at the center of the customer experience and using AI to support them, smaller operators can differentiate themselves in a market increasingly skeptical of chatbots.
What This Means for Support Teams
These findings matter for the outsourcing and contact center industry. As enterprise clients weigh customer loyalty against automation savings, BPO providers that position human agents as the differentiator-supported but not replaced by AI-will be better positioned to win contracts.
For customer support professionals, the message is clear: your value lies in what you do that AI for customer support cannot. That includes judgment, empathy, and the ability to handle complex problems. The businesses winning customer loyalty are the ones that understand this.
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