The Conversation Layer: Where the Next Decade of CX Will be Won

With so many dimensions of CX changing, the popularity of voice-led experiences demonstrates customers' most authentic preferences. In an always-on digital ecosystem of touchpoints, customers want, above all, to be heard. Voice communication sits at a unique intersection of inherent understanding and acute fragility: the best voice experiences require the least amount of effort on behalf of the customer of any channel, but the worst experiences are confusing, frustrating, uncanny, or potentially even upsetting. Delivering voice experiences at scale has never been a simple challenge: our global economy means customers call in from anywhere, each with a distinct communication style and set of expectations. 

Today, voice shoulders the burden of customer service for most customer service operations, wherein the reliability of the voice channel lends credibility to less familiar channels. In our June 2025 market study, CCW Digital found the top differentiator that gives customers confidence in engaging with a chatbot or AI assistant is the ability to escalate to a human agent at any time. Further, the number one driver supporting a preference of human agents over AI-led experiences is the concern that it will be too difficult to explain their issue to AI.