AI risks becoming the weak link in UK customer service as British consumers report highest levels of frustration globally
Five9 research finds customer service is improving overall, but UK consumers experience more friction with AI than US and German consumers
– 42% of UK consumers often or always have to repeat themselves when moving from an AI agent to a human
– 76% say it is very or extremely important to know when they are speaking to AI
– Across the three markets, trust in AI more than doubles when a human option is available
Customer service may be improving overall, but AI risks becoming a weak point in the experience, according to new Five9 research. While 57% of consumers across the UK, US, and Germany say customer service has improved over the past decade, British consumers report the highest level of frustration with AI and the most friction when moving from an AI agent to a person.
Six in ten UK consumers say using AI for customer service is frustrating, compared with 57% in the US and 46% in Germany. Meanwhile, 42% say they often or always have to repeat themselves when moving from an AI agent to a human, versus 36% in the US and 29% in Germany.
Five9’s 2026 Consumer CX Report, based on a survey of 3,000 consumers including 1,000 in the UK, suggests the challenge is not simply whether businesses use AI, but how well it is implemented and how effectively it works alongside human support.
Transparency is particularly important to British consumers. More than three-quarters (76%) say it is very or extremely important that companies tell them when they are interacting with AI rather than a human, compared with 69% in the US and 67% in Germany.
Almost a quarter (23%) of UK consumers say they see no benefit to AI in customer service, compared with just 9% in Germany. Yet the wider findings suggest consumers are not rejecting AI outright. Instead, trust depends heavily on whether businesses give customers a clear route to human support when they need it.
Across the three markets, 55% of consumers trust AI to resolve their customer service issue when they know a human option is available, compared with just 26% when there is no human option.
Amit Mathradas, Chief Executive Officer at Five9, said,
“This research validates how we see CX evolving: consumers aren’t asking companies to choose between AI and people; they’re asking for both, done right,”
“That’s the core of Humantic CX, our vision for AI and human agents working as one system, where AI absorbs the routine, so a person is always there for the moments that need judgment and empathy. The data captures the impact of this approach clearly and shows that consumers trust AI to resolve their issue more than twice as often when that human option is visible versus when it isn’t. Every interaction where we get that handoff right builds more trust for the next one, and that’s smarter CX with every interaction.”
The findings also reinforce that businesses cannot assume consumer attitudes towards AI are uniform across markets. UK consumers report greater frustration and handoff friction than their German counterparts, underlining the need for companies to adapt how they deploy and communicate AI according to the expectations of different audiences.
For UK businesses, Five9 says the priority should therefore be to move beyond simply increasing the volume of interactions handled by AI. Effective AI-powered customer service means using automation where it genuinely improves the experience, being transparent about when it is involved, preserving context throughout the customer journey, and ensuring customers have a straightforward route to human support when needed.
The full Five9 2026 Consumer CX Report is available by Clicking Here
Five9 is the proven, open cloud platform for customer experience. Cloud-native since 2001 and built by voice experts for the agentic era, Five9 powers contact centres for more than 4,000 customers across 140+ countries, including leading health systems, financial institutions, and organisations across every major industry. The Five9 platform, powered by Genius AI, serves every channel and workflow, together with the governance, control, and ecosystem flexibility that even the most regulated enterprises demand. Practical AI that learns from every interaction, driving real outcomes for customers and the businesses that serve them. Smarter CX with every interaction.
Methodology
Five9 partnered with Hanover Research to conduct the survey online in April 2026 via a recruited panel. The results reflect 3,000 consumers across the US, UK and Germany, following data cleaning and quality control. Respondents were required to be 18 years of age or older and to have interacted with customer service in at least one of the following industries: healthcare, financial services, travel/hospitality, retail, higher education, sales and telemarketing, customer service, or outsourcing.
