December 17, 2025
75% of Customers Say AI Support Is Fast but Still Frustrating
AI customer service got noticeably faster in 2025. Yet for many customers, that speed came at a cost.
According to Glance’s newly released 2026 CX Trends Report, 75% of consumers say they’ve received a quick, AI-driven response that still left them frustrated. Companies are measuring success by how quickly AI responds, while customers are measuring it by whether their problem actually gets solved.
Many companies focused on reducing wait times and deflecting tickets as AI adoption accelerated. While those goals delivered faster replies, they often failed to deliver something customers value more, which is resolution.
Glance’s research shows that 68% of consumers rank “getting a complete resolution” as the most important part of a support interaction. Speed matters, but only when it leads somewhere. When AI systems provide partial answers, loop customers through menus, or fail to understand intent, frustration builds quickly.
This is especially visible when customers move between channels. Only 7% say they rarely or never have to repeat themselves when switching from chat to phone or email. For most, context gets lost along the way, turning fast responses into longer, more exhausting journeys.
Speed Without Trust Doesn’t Build Loyalty
Nearly 90% of consumers say their loyalty declines when human support is removed entirely from the experience.
Customers are not rejecting AI outright, as many willingly engage with self-service and automated tools, but their tolerance drops sharply when those systems fail to understand context, repeat questions, or block a clear path to human support.
In fact, 44% say they always try self-service first, and another 50% sometimes do. That shows a strong interest in AI-enabled support when it works. Problems arise when automation becomes a wall rather than a starting point.
More than a third of respondents say AI customer service actually made their experience harder. Most say they prefer human-first pathways, especially when dealing with complex issues, billing problems, or emotionally charged situations.
Where the AI Push Fell Short
Glance’s report outlines several reasons why fast AI support still feels frustrating. Many bots were designed to reduce contact volume instead of resolving issues end-to-end. Automation also exposed underlying operational problems, including inconsistent data, broken workflows, and poor handoffs between teams and systems.
Personalisation created mixed reactions as well. In some cases, attempts to anticipate needs crossed into feeling intrusive or out of place, further weakening trust.
Looking ahead, the report argues that leading CX teams are shifting focus. Rather than chasing speed-based metrics, they are redesigning AI around outcomes that matter to customers.
Key priorities for 2026 include building AI on clean, consistent data, using intent-aware automation that knows when to escalate, and creating omnichannel experiences where context follows the customer. Personalisation is becoming more intentional, and empathy, supported by both humans and AI, is being treated as a driver of loyalty, not a soft extra.
