Contextual Intelligence Becomes New Standard for Exceptional CX

Contextual Intelligence becomes the new standard for exceptional Customer Experience in 2026

Zendesk have released its 2026 Customer Experience (CX) Trends report, revealing that Contextual Intelligence* – the ability to combine AI, data, and human understanding in real time – is redefining what great service means.

Based on insights from thousands of consumers, CX leaders, and customer service agents around the world, the study highlights how the most successful companies are blending the capabilities of AI with the emotional intelligence of human service. In the UK, 64% of consumers say they interact with AI more often than they did a year ago – and 57% report increased use specifically in customer service – setting a new standard for CX.

Tom Eggemeier, Chief Executive Officer of Zendesk, said,

“AI is not the differentiator anymore. How intelligently you apply it is. When 85% of CX leaders globally say one unresolved issue is enough to lose a customer, speed, accuracy, and empathy become non-negotiable”, 

“The best systems connect past interactions to present intent to anticipate what is next, putting contextual intelligence in action. That is the balance Zendesk delivers: automation that feels personal and builds trust by bringing real context to every conversation.” 

Matthias Goehler, EMEA Chief Technology Officer of Zendesk, added:

“In the UK, contextual intelligence plays an increasingly important role – 65% of consumers say they are very frustrated by a lack of personalised service. That’s a powerful signal: customers no longer expect only fast service – they expect service that recognises and remembers them.

“With contextual intelligence, AI is evolving from automation to anticipation. It transforms one-off interactions into continuous, coherent, and human conversations – exactly what consumers now see as the standard. Brands that harness this intelligent memory will not only deliver better experiences, but also build lasting trust with their customers.”

The Zendesk CX Trends 2026 report identifies five key shifts shaping customer experiences in the year ahead:

 1. Memory-rich AI is raising the bar for personalisation by carrying context across channels and time-recalling past behaviour, timing, and preferences to deliver continuous, relevant interactions. UK consumers now expect service that picks up where they left off: 84% want agents to continue the conversation without backtracking, and 79% are frustrated when they have to repeat information. As these capabilities mature, 63% expect brands to tailor support based on prior interactions. High AI-maturity organisations** are already capitalising on this, with 85% of CX leaders calling it critical to building truly personalised journeys.

 2. Instant resolutions are becoming the baseline expectation, as AI and self-service accelerate consumer demand for fast, accurate support across all touchpoints. In the UK, 90% of CX leaders say customers will drop brands that cannot resolve issues on first contact, and 85% of consumers say responsiveness and accurate resolution highly influence their purchase decisions. 98% of high AI-maturity organisations report that AI materially accelerates first-reply and full-resolution speed, helping brands meet the rising expectations of modern customers, while 63% of consumers now expect 24/7 service due to AI.

 3. Multimodal support enables seamless help through the best combination of voice, chat, and visual sharing. Customers now expect to communicate in the way that best suits each interaction, while AI ensures continuity and efficiency across formats. 70% of UK consumers say they would choose a company that allows text, images, and video in the same thread without restarting, 83% of CX leaders say customers now expect the option to use video or visual sharing during support interactions, and 84% believe Voice AI is finally reaching the point where it has the potential to significantly evolve the customer experience. High AI-maturity firms report that 91% of their AI agents handle at least one non-text medium.

 4. Promptable analytics and AI-driven metrics are redefining CX success. Leaders can now access real-time insights and actionable intelligence, empowering teams to make faster, data-informed decisions that align with both customer needs and internal objectives. 91% of leaders say promptable analytics unlock insights in seconds, 86% agree giving employees the ability to query data democratises decision-making, and 88% say AI is already improving data and analytics.

 5. AI transparency has become a non-negotiable expectation, with consumers demanding clear explanations for automated decisions. Companies that embed transparent processes into AI workflows build trust and strengthen loyalty. 77% of consumers say plain-language reasoning is important, 91% expect an explanation for AI-made decisions, and 87% of CX leaders agree AI transparency will be required for any customer-facing AI within two years. High AI-maturity organisations are preparing for this, with 100% already having or planning AI reasoning controls.

Together, these trends demonstrate how intelligence and knowledge converge to create faster, more personalised, and deeply aware customer experiences, setting a new benchmark for trust and loyalty worldwide. Contextual intelligence will become the foundation for companies to deliver exceptional CX, differentiate in the market, and cultivate lasting customer relationships. 

 

 

To download the full Zendesk 2026 CX Trends Report Click Here

Zendesk powers exceptional service for every person on the planet. As a leader in AI-powered service, we offer the Zendesk Resolution Platform, designed to redefine customer experience with advanced tools that integrate AI Agents, a comprehensive knowledge graph, actions and integrations, governance and control, measurement and insights, and human expertise. Our purpose-built platform enhances service by combining automation and human insight for seamless interactions. Easy to use, easy to scale, and easy to get value from, Zendesk helps companies strengthen relationships, improve efficiency, and grow.

* Contextual Intelligence is AI that acts with situational awareness, drawing from a connected foundation of customer data, historical records, real-time signals, and business rules to understand not just what a customer needs, but also what the company can deliver. 

** We combined multiple assessments of maturity, understanding: (1) how deeply each company has woven modern AI into day-to-day CX and observed ROI and (2) how broadly they deploy distinct AI capabilities across their CX organisation. Firms that score strongly in both depth and breadth land in the high-maturity tier; everyone else falls into medium or low tiers.

Methodology

CX Trends 2026 is based on insights from over 11,000 respondents worldwide. The research combines two global surveys conducted across 22 countries in June 2025: one with 6,182 consumers and another with 5,115 business respondents including CX leaders, service managers, and agents.

Countries surveyed include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.