January 08, 2026
NiCE Data Shows Customers Prioritise Fast Resolution and a Strong Voice As Brands Scale
NiCE is pumping out the insights as the Cognigy acquisition bears fruit, and it continues to showcase the changing pace of customer service.
Fresh data shows a 77% year-over-year increase in AI-handled inquiries as brands scale automation to manage rising volume and meet cost revenue and experience demands.
That backs up similar stats showing some 56% of customers believe bots will be able to have natural conversations by 2026, according to Zendesk. And that 26% of customer service professionals have already integrated AI into workflows, and 35% are using AI specifically to improve agent efficiency.
NiCE reports voice interactions rose 35% because customers still call when they want fast and certain resolution. This was most evident on Black Friday and Cyber Monday when inquiry spikes reflected a strong expectation for same day resolution.
The Support Model Changes
According to Darren Rushworth, President, NiCE International, “This year, customer service organisations will need to rework their operating models to keep up with rising demand for fast and reliable resolutions.”
“New NiCE data shows this shift clearly in the way demand is growing and how service teams are responding. AI handled inquiries increased 77% year over year as enterprises scaled automation to manage higher volumes while balancing cost, revenue, and experience pressures.
This reflects how central AI is becoming to service operations, rather than a change in customer preferences.”
A Rising Need For Voice
At the same time, voice interactions rose 35%, reinforcing that when customers need fast, certain resolution, they still turn to the most immediate and reliable path. This is not about a preference for human agents, but about urgency. Across channels, expectations for same day resolution now take priority over how an interaction begins.
Peaks observed around Black Friday and Cyber Monday highlight how demand is becoming more concentrated into high intensity moments, with inquiry volumes spiking on key days and easing across the surrounding week.
Looking beyond 2026, leaders will need to build service operations that can accommodate peak demand and deliver fast, reliable outcomes, rather than organising teams and technology around individual channels.”
With the rise in AI agent-led and social shopping, this will be especially true for retailers where orders can now come from anywhere, and as M2M buying takes off, the B2B service landscape will also change fast.
