Don’t Let AI Break Your Customer Relationships

There is no question that AI is transforming the nature of customer contact. There is, however, ample debate about what that transformation will mean for the idea of the human connection.

Customer contact thought leaders have long argued that AI is about augmenting rather than replacing humanity. They stress that by automating rote tasks and surfacing actionable intelligence real-time, AI enables humans to better demonstrate qualities like personalization, empathy, and resolve – and thus better cultivate meaningful relationships.

Consumers, however, have reason to doubt that prospect. According to CCW Digital’s 2025 Consumer Preferences Survey, nearly 91% of consumers feel increasingly forced to use self-service options. Difficulty reaching a live agent, in fact, now ranks as the most common customer experience pain point.

Those who are able to reach live agents, moreover, are not experiencing an “augmented” caliber of performance. More than 75% of consumers say the typical agent lacks focus and expertise. A staggering 60% actually find these employees impolite and unfriendly.

As 2026 arrives, how will customer contact teams address these concerns? How will they approach the idea of the “human touch” in the customer experience landscape of the future? How will they ensure AI becomes a pathway for designing intelligent systems that amplify empathy at scale?

To answer these questions, CCW Digital and Sutherland partnered on a survey in late 2025. The study revealed how organizations are rethinking their customer contact visions – and what operational challenges are thwarting their success.

Not simply a commentator on inhibitors, this report also underscores pathways to success. It uncovers a blueprint for combining technology, behavioral intelligence, and human ingenuity to ensure that customer interactions drive satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy rather than indifference and churn.