88%
88% of customers say the experience a company provides matters as much as its products or services.
Salesforce, State of the Connected Customer · 2022
Customer expectations & experience
What customers now demand from every interaction — speed, understanding, and a human escape hatch.
View 7 statisticsLast updated: August 2026
What customers now demand from every interaction — speed, understanding, and a human escape hatch. Every statistic on this page is attributed to a named source and publication year.
Forecast — a projection published by the source, not a measured result.
96%
96% of consumers say customer service is important in their choice of loyalty to a brand.
Microsoft, State of Global Customer Service · 2022
32%
32% of customers would walk away from a brand they love after just one bad experience.
PwC, Experience is Everything · 2018
75%
75% of consumers want more human contact in the future, even as digital channels grow.
PwC, Experience is Everything · 2018
70%
70% of consumers say they spend more with companies that offer seamless conversational experiences.
Zendesk CX Trends · 2023
73%
73% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations.
Salesforce, State of the Connected Customer · 2022
90%
90% of customers rate an immediate response as important or very important when they contact support.
HubSpot Service Research · 2023
Cite this page
Hasan Alzein (2026). Customer expectations & experience — AI Customer Service & Call Center Statistics 2026. https://hasanalzein.com/en/statistics/customer-expectations
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Primary sources on this page: Salesforce, State of the Connected Customer (2022) · Microsoft, State of Global Customer Service (2022) · PwC, Experience is Everything (2018) · Zendesk CX Trends (2023) · HubSpot Service Research (2023)