New InMoment Study Shows Consumers Want Contact Centers to Listen, Respond, and Resolve—Not Just Automate – Global Study Shows 81% of Customers Still Rely on Direct Interaction with Humans to Fix Issues
SALT LAKE CITY – InMoment®, a leading provider of integrated Experience Improvement (XI)™ solutions, announced the results of a global consumer study that reveals a widening disconnect between what customers expect and what brands are delivering. Despite years of investment in automation and AI, most customers still want real human support—and they want it fast, accurate, and on their terms.
According to the study of more than 1,200 consumers, 81% say they still need to interact with a company to resolve issues, signaling that self-service channels are falling short. And when customers do reach out, 61% expect resolution the first time, or they’ll start considering competitors.
“Contact center leaders are under pressure to do more with less, but customers aren’t lowering their expectations,” said Jeff Catlin, EVP of AI Products at InMoment. “Customers want to be understood, responded to quickly, and treated like people—not tickets. If brands can’t deliver that, AI won’t save them.”
Other key findings include:
- 41% of consumers expect to be contacted within 5 minutes after reporting an issue
- 38% are uncomfortable using AI-powered support like chatbots, with many saying they feel pushed into tools that don’t actually resolve their problems
- 9% say their issue never got resolved at all, a trust-breaker that leads directly to churn
Catlin continues, “While automation delivers efficiency, success ultimately depends on a brand's ability to genuinely listen, understand, and act on customer interactions. By harnessing business solutions like conversational intelligence, companies can simultaneously identify friction points, drive operational improvements, and build the transparency and accountability that today's consumers demand."
While AI plays a growing role in scaling service operations, the research shows it cannot replace meaningful human connection—yet. Instead, brands need to use technology like conversational intelligence to better listen, understand, and act on what customers are really saying. Only then can they improve frontline performance and drive the kind of real-time, personal experiences that customers now expect.
Methodology
InMoment's comprehensive survey was conducted with 1,215 census-representative consumers, gathering insights on their customer service expectations, preferred support channels, and attitudes toward AI-driven interactions. The research focused on identifying key friction points in customer interactions, the role of AI in service delivery, and the evolving expectations of modern consumers.
For more information and to download a copy of the report, click here.
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