AI Usage Trends: The Top 10 Highlights From This Year's GCER

1. The embarrassing truth remains

Even now, customers still face persistently frustrating experiences when engaging with businesses:

• 65% cite long wait times to speak with agents.

• 65% are dissatisfied with having to contact customer service multiple times.

• 63% must describe their problem to multiple agents.

These difficult interactions directly impact business outcomes:

• 75% of customers will stop buying after repeated communication problems.

• 48% only need one or two bad experiences before they leave.

• 46% switch to other providers after negative experiences.

• 42% tell friends and family about poor experiences.

• 21% post negative reviews on social media.

However, satisfying experiences drive significant business growth:

• 53% of satisfied customers tell friends and family.

• 52% become more loyal to the company.

• 35% purchase additional products or services.

These findings explain why businesses must urgently address such longstanding customer pain points. AI-enabled solutions can help bridge the gap between poor experiences and excellent ones, turning frustrated customers into loyal advocates.

2. Consumers love their AI

Customers are embracing AI-enabled tools for business communications:

• 83% report recently using AI-assisted tools, with a sharp increase in AI-powered search engines and AI chat programs.

• 32% plan to increase chatbot usage in the next 6-12 months, beyond the current 9% daily users.

• 28% expect to increase AI-enhanced video chat usage, up from 11% currently.

These trends toward the increased use of automation reflect customer priorities. Customers value convenience and speed, as shown by the growing adoption of automated features like push notifications. As a result, they’re looking for AI-enhanced interactions that deliver speedy service in the form of immediate, automated responses.

3. AI makes every channel an optimal channel

Customers use multiple channels to communicate with businesses, and they expect seamless engagement across each one:

• 91% use messaging platforms (primarily WhatsApp and SMS).

• 93% rely on at least one voice channel.

• 77% use video chat platforms.

• 80% engage over social media.

While engaging companies on these channels, their journey usually follows one of the following three paths:

The Utopian Path

Every interaction with the business flows seamlessly. Customers never have to repeat themselves, and agents have full context across all channels. For example, if a customer reaches out with one question by text and then follows up with another question over the phone and then yet another question through chat, she will never have to repeat a thing because the agents are properly updated after each interaction. 

The Reality Path

Customers encounter an obstacle course when trying to get help: unanswered texts, endless impersonal phone trees, ghosted chats, and repeated authentication with multiple agents. The business clearly doesn’t understand that each of these barriers increases the likelihood that the customer will just give up or, worse, leave and never come back.

The AI Path

Communications APIs and contact center solutions bridge the gap between utopia and reality. AI enables proactive service across all channels, making sure that customers reach the right resource through their preferred channel the first time. With far less friction in the customer experience, customers are not only more likely to remain loyal, but they are more likely to make additional purchases, too.

4. AI solutions can meet rising customer expectations

Customers show clear channel preferences when it comes to AI-powered support tools:

• 44% prefer messaging apps.

• 39% prefer website chat.

• 30% prefer email interactions.

• 49% expect 24/7 availability.

AI meets rising customer expectations for great experiences through:

• Virtual assistants and smart IVR eliminating long hold times

• Automated CRM data extraction providing crucial context

• 24/7 service availability

Companies can leverage these improvements to provide effective omnichannel support while reducing time to resolution, delivering the 24/7 service that customers now consider table stakes.

5. AI-powered support tools: The next evolution

Customers know what they want from their support experiences:

• 47% want proactive issue resolution.

• 45% seek more personalized experiences.

• 42% want seamless performance across channels.

• 39% desire real-time voice recognition and response.

Businesses can significantly improve the support they provide through:

• AI-powered chatbots routing customers to live agents using sentiment analysis

• Voice assistants conducting real-time sentiment analysis

• AI-generated insights enabling faster resolution

• Machine learning improving capabilities over time

• Real-time conversation context analysis suggesting relevant responses

Customers are ready for sophisticated AI support, particularly when it enhances personalization and proactive service. Businesses have a clear opportunity to meet their needs better than ever before.

6. Contact centers: Bridging the service gap

Only 40% of customers feel service has improved over the past year. That’s why contact centers are evolving to meet the growing communication needs of consumers, with 73% of customers now engaging through multiple channels. The result:

• 56% say it's easier to contact support.

• 55% report faster problem resolution.

However, there are still opportunities for improvement when it comes to:

• Proactive support

• Agent knowledge

• Initial customer triage

• Skills-based routing

• Insights from previous touchpoints

Contact centers can use AI-driven solutions to bridge this gap — for example, by connecting customers with the most qualified agents from the start and by tapping AI-generated insights from previous touchpoints to resolve issues more efficiently.

7. Strong fraud protection earns customer trust

Customers are concerned about identity theft while interacting with businesses:

• 71% feel more confident with online authentication.

• 69% use SMS/text verification.

• 59% use email verification codes.

Until recently, it was difficult for companies to simultaneously ensure strong fraud protection and deliver a smooth customer experience. AI enables powerful authentication methods that don't disrupt the customer journey. By automating verification through customers' preferred channels, businesses can provide robust security that builds trust while avoiding unnecessary friction.

8. Secure authentication: Meeting customers’ comfort levels

Customers have varying degrees of comfort with existing authentication methods:

• Most are "very comfortable" with SMS verification codes.

• Nearly 50% are "very comfortable" with email verification codes.

• About 30% are "very comfortable" with:

  • Verification through social messaging apps

  • Authenticator apps

  • AI-enhanced channels

However, they resist complicated authentication processes:

• 87% will only accept two or fewer authentication steps.

• The majority of them won't tolerate complex processes.

Companies can use AI-enabled authentication to reduce the complexity of identity verification. AI can automatically adjust security requirements based on a customer's risk level and transaction type, reducing steps for routine interactions while adding protections for sensitive ones. By automating verification through customers' preferred channels, AI makes security feel like a natural part of the interaction instead of a barrier.

9. Poor experiences hurt the bottom line

When the customer experience suffers, it soon shows in the bottom line:

• 75% will stop buying after repeated communication problems.

• 48% only need one or two bad experiences before they leave.

• 46% switch to other providers.

• 42% tell friends and family.

• 21% post negative reviews on social media.

Positive experiences drive customer loyalty and increased business:

• 53% tell friends and family.

• 52% become more loyal.

• 35% purchase additional products.

These findings prove that the customer experience is directly linked to a company’s revenue and reputation. While poor experiences can quickly damage customer relationships, excellent ones earn increased loyalty and result in business growth.

10. AI can improve the CX across multiple channels

Customers engage with businesses on multiple channels, including:

• 91% use at least one messaging or texting platform with companies, primarily WhatsApp and SMS.

• 92% relying on at least one voice channel.

• 74% turning to video chat.

• 78% engaging over social platforms.

These stats confirm the AI preference and benefits. For example:

• Messaging platforms benefit from chatbots that can handle routine inquiries and quickly escalate more complex issues to human agents when appropriate.

• Voice channels use NLP and smart routing to ensure consistent experiences.

• Video interactions improve with AI-driven sentiment analysis and agent assistance.

• Social media management becomes streamlined through AI-enabled response automation and unified channel management.

AI usage is transforming customer communications

Your customers are already using AI, and they're rapidly learning just how much it can streamline their lives. They are also very aware of how AI is revolutionizing how companies engage with customers by enabling personalized, efficient service across all channels. By understanding how you can leverage AI to meet their growing expectations for satisfying service, you can earn their continued loyalty and ensure a bright future of continued business growth.

Read the latest edition of the Vonage Global Customer Engagement Report for all the newest customer communication insights and recommendations on how you can use AI to maximize the customer experience.