TCN’s State of Customer Service 2026 Reveals UK Consumers Still Put Humans First as AI Enters the Contact Centre
TCN, a leading provider of cloud contact centre technology, today announced the findings of its State of Customer Service 2026 survey, revealing that while British consumers are increasingly open to AI in customer service, they overwhelmingly still want human agents when it matters most.
The survey of 1,000 UK adults found that 84% of respondents prefer to talk to a human agent rather than an AI agent when contacting a business, compared with just 8% who prefer AI. At the same time, consumers are not rejecting AI altogether: 37% are comfortable engaging with AI when contacting a business, while 37% also consider AI helpful in customer service.
The message for UK businesses is clear: consumers are willing to embrace AI as a tool, but not as a replacement for human service.
Key Findings
The survey data highlights a clear opportunity for UK businesses: use AI and automation to make customer service faster and more effective, while keeping humans at the centre of complex, sensitive and high-value interactions.
Humans Remain the First Choice
Despite the rapid adoption of AI across customer service, British consumers overwhelmingly favour human interaction.
When asked whether they would prefer to speak with a human agent or an AI agent when contacting a business, 84% chose a human agent, compared with only 8% who chose AI.
That preference is also reflected in how consumers approach self-service and chatbots. Nearly three in ten respondents (29%) say they are not willing to try self-service options at all and will immediately try to speak with an actual person. Among those who are willing to use self-service, they will try it an average of just two times before asking to speak with a human.
When encountering an online chatbot or AI while trying to resolve a customer service issue, 33% immediately try to connect with a human, while just 28% give the chatbot an opportunity to resolve the issue.
The findings suggest consumers are not necessarily rejecting automation—they are rejecting being trapped inside it.
AI Has a Role, But Trust Has Limits
The 2026 findings show a more nuanced attitude towards AI. Consumers recognise that AI can be useful, but they are far more comfortable with AI supporting the customer journey than owning it.
When contacting a business, respondents are most comfortable with AI directing them to the correct person or department (35%), followed by providing options for solutions (23%), answering questions about an item or service (22%) and providing technical support (22%).
By contrast, only 9% would be comfortable with AI collecting payment information, while 29% would not be comfortable with AI accomplishing anything when contacting a business.
Trust is an even bigger barrier when personal data is involved. Just 48% of respondents trust providing personal data to an AI agent, while 53% say they do not trust AI with their personal data.
Consumers are also significantly more comfortable sharing secure information with a human. 53% feel more comfortable giving secure information to a live person, compared with just 16% who are more comfortable providing it through an automated phone system.
For businesses, the implication is straightforward: AI can help customers navigate a service experience, but sensitive information, complex problems and moments requiring reassurance still call for a human touch.
Speed Still Matters
While human interaction remains important, consumers have not lowered their expectations for speed.
The ability to solve an issue quickly (38%) is the most important quality consumers look for when contacting customer service, followed by the ease of getting through to a live agent (36%) and having the first person they speak with able to solve the issue (35%).
Consumers are also unwilling to tolerate excessive hold times. On average, British consumers are willing to wait just 11.4 minutes on hold before hanging up, while 31% are willing to wait five minutes or less.
The average longest hold time respondents reported experiencing was 27.2 minutes, with 10% saying they have waited more than an hour.
Waiting on hold remains the single biggest frustration when contacting customer service, cited by 43% of respondents. Other leading frustrations include having to speak with several people or departments to resolve an issue (41%) and getting disconnected and having to start again (40%).
When faced with a long wait, 28% of consumers say they are most likely to hang up and try again later, while 26% would prefer to be placed in a queue and called back when an agent becomes available.
Customer Service Drives Loyalty and Revenue
The connection between customer service and commercial performance is unmistakable.
Following a positive customer service experience, 76% of UK consumers are likely to make a repeat purchase, including 45% who are very likely and 31% who are somewhat likely to do so.
The reverse is also true. Following a negative customer service experience, 54% are unlikely to make a repeat purchase.
Consumers also place a measurable financial value on better service. On average, respondents say they would be willing to pay 39.1% more for a product or service if the brand offered better customer service than a lower-priced alternative.
Cost remains the leading factor influencing whether consumers choose one company over another, at 51%, but quality of customer service follows closely at 47%, ahead of past experience with the company at 43%.
Customer service is therefore not simply an operational function. For businesses that get it right, it can be a competitive advantage, a driver of loyalty and a reason customers are willing to pay more.
Reputation Works Both Ways
Customer experiences increasingly extend beyond the interaction itself and into the public sphere.
More than four in ten respondents (41%) have left an online review following a poor customer service experience, while another 29% have considered leaving one and would do so in the future.
Positive experiences can also generate advocacy. 52% have left an online review following a great customer service experience, including 39% who have done so several times.
The lesson for businesses is clear: poor service can become a public reputational problem, while excellent service can turn customers into advocates.
TCN’s Takeaway
“Consumers aren’t telling businesses to choose between AI and people—they’re telling them where each belongs,” said TCN.
“AI has a valuable role to play in helping customers navigate service, find answers and reach the right department quickly. But when an issue is urgent, sensitive, complicated or simply requires reassurance, consumers overwhelmingly want a human being.
“The opportunity for businesses in 2026 is therefore not to replace the human agent. It is to use technology to make that human interaction faster, smarter and more effective. The businesses that get this balance right will be the ones that turn customer service from a cost centre into a genuine driver of loyalty and revenue.”
For additional results of TCN’s State of Customer Service 2026 Click Here
