AI is fundamentally reshaping customer contact. Chatbots, automation, and real-time insights are redefining how organizations interact with customers every day.
But as technology advances, one critical question remains:
What happens to the human connection?
The long-standing promise of AI in customer service has always been to enhance human performance, not replace it. By automating repetitive tasks and equipping agents with better insights, AI should empower people to be more empathetic, more personalized, and more effective.
Yet customers aren’t feeling that promise.
Nearly 91% say they feel pushed toward self-service. Difficulty reaching a live agent is now the most common customer experience frustration. And even when customers do connect with a human, the experience often disappoints – many describe agents as unfocused, lacking expertise, or even unfriendly.
The gap between AI’s potential and the customer’s reality is widening.
So what happens next?
As 2026 unfolds, leading organizations are confronting a pivotal challenge:
- How do you scale efficiency without sacrificing empathy?
- How do you deploy AI without diluting the human touch?
- How do you design systems that make technology feel intelligent — and interactions feel human?
To explore these questions, CCW Digital and Sutherland conducted a comprehensive study of customer contact leaders in late 2025. The findings reveal a turning point.
The study uncovers:
- How CX leaders are redefining the role of AI
- The operational barriers undermining performance
- Where workforce enablement is falling short
- A blueprint for combining technology, behavioral intelligence, and human ingenuity
- Practical pathways to drive satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy
The future of customer contact isn’t about choosing between AI and humans.
It’s about designing AI that elevates humanity.
The question is: Are you building the future your customers actually want?
Discover the insights shaping the next era of intelligent, empathetic customer experience.
