AI & contextual intelligence redefine UK customer expectations

Contextual intelligence is emerging as a central focus for organisations aiming to meet rising consumer expectations around customer service, according to research from Zendesk's latest Customer Experience Trends report. The findings suggest that the ability to combine artificial intelligence, customer data, and human understanding in real time is setting a new benchmark for what customers expect from businesses in the UK and beyond.

Service expectations

The report highlights a shift in consumer demand for fast, personalised and contextually aware interactions. In the UK, 90% of customer experience leaders believe customers will stop using brands unable to resolve issues at the first point of contact. Meanwhile, 85% of consumers say that both responsiveness and accuracy in resolution strongly influence their purchasing decisions.

UK consumers' exposure to AI is also growing. Sixty-four percent say they interact with AI more often compared to last year, with 57% noting increased AI use specifically for customer service. However, expectations have evolved beyond simple automation. Eighty-four percent of UK consumers want agents to continue conversations seamlessly across channels without the need to repeat information, while 79% report significant frustration if asked to repeat themselves.

Personalisation and memory

Personalisation is increasingly valued. As AI becomes better at carrying context across different interactions, customers are seeking a more continuous experience. Sixty-three percent of UK consumers expect brands to tailor support based on prior interactions. Organisations with advanced AI capabilities are prioritising this, with 85% of customer experience leaders identifying memory-rich AI as essential to building personalised journeys.

"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," said Tom Eggemeier, Chief Executive Officer, Zendesk.

Resolution speed

Rapid response and issue resolution are now baseline expectations for many consumers. Ninety percent of UK customer experience leaders say customers are likely to leave a brand if their issues are not resolved on the first contact. The research found that 63% of consumers expect availability of customer support 24/7, a demand enabled by the growth of AI-powered agents and self-service solutions. Within high-maturity companies, 98% report that AI significantly speeds up their ability to provide first responses and resolve issues completely.

Channel flexibility

Customers are increasingly expecting multimodal support, with the freedom to switch between voice, chat, and visual sharing without restarting their cases. Seventy percent of UK consumers now seek companies that allow communication using text, images, and video within the same thread. The study also found that 83% of customer experience leaders believe customers expect video or visual sharing as part of support, and 84% see Voice AI as having the potential to change customer interactions significantly.

Transparency requirements

Transparency around how AI makes decisions is becoming a key requirement in the customer journey. In the UK, 91% of consumers expect clear explanations for decisions made by AI tools, and 87% of customer experience leaders say such transparency will soon be necessary for all customer-facing AI. Seventy-seven percent of consumers value plain-language explanations. Among organisations identified as highly mature in their use of AI, 100% already have or are planning to introduce controls aimed at providing reasoning for AI decisions.

Data-driven approach

Organisations are leveraging AI-driven analytics to improve decision-making and customer support. Ninety-one percent of leaders say that the ability to access promptable analytics provides useful insights in seconds, while 86% believe that allowing staff to query data more easily supports broader participation in decision-making. Eighty-eight percent state that AI is already improving their data and analytics capabilities.

"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," said Matthias Goehler, EMEA Chief Technology Officer, Zendesk.