February 18, 2026
Zoom Research Explores AI’s Impact on CX
New research commissioned by Zoom reveals just how central artificial intelligence is becoming to modern customer experience strategies. The report, carried out by Morning Consult and co-produced with CMSWire, paints a clear picture of a fast-moving landscape in which AI is reshaping everything from customer loyalty to employee productivity. While the benefits appear substantial, however, AI may bring with it less desirable implications for the human workforce.
Customers Want Speed and Effectiveness
According to research, today’s customers are highly sensitive to service quality. The study found that 87 percent of consumers are more loyal to brands that provide fast and effective support. Equally striking is the downside risk. Eighty two percent say an unsatisfactory resolution would make them likely to stop buying from a brand altogether.
These findings highlight the unforgiving nature of the modern customer journey, where expectations are high and patience is limited. AI is increasingly promoted as the solution to help organisations to meet those expectations at scale.
AI Boosts Customer Retention
Research from Metrigy, included in the report, suggests that organisations adopting AI are already seeing significant results. Among CX leaders, 76 percent report customer satisfaction improvements averaging 31 percent since implementing AI tools. Adoption is also accelerating rapidly. Zoom reports that only one in ten organisations were using AI regularly last year. This year, that figure has climbed to one in three.
When asked where AI will have the greatest organisational impact, respondents identified customer retention at 37 percent, freeing staff for higher level work at 36 percent, identifying CX problems faster at 35 percent, and enabling customer self-service at 35 percent.
Generative AI is also finding practical applications across business functions. The most common uses include social media content and customer service chatbots, both at 40 percent, followed by content creation and enhancement at 38 percent and website copy at 34 percent.
Augmenting Employees or Replacing Them?
Despite persistent fears about automation, the research suggests many organisations view AI primarily as a productivity enhancer. The top value driver identified by CX leaders is helping agents become more productive, cited by 42 percent of respondents. Furthermore, among organisations using more advanced agentic AI, 64 percent report greater employee efficiency as a primary outcome.
This more reassuring narrative does not chime with all of the emerging data and analysis. For example, the CEO of Microsoft AI, Mustafa Suleyman believes that AI could automate most, or even all, white-collar professional tasks within the next 12 to 18 months. Salesforce has already directly attributed recent workforce attrition with AI, while Cisco’s President wants AI agents to be treated like “digital coworkers”.
Enterprise Demand Continues to Surge
Broader market signals reinforce AI’s expanding role in customer experience. Communications provider 8×8 reports that enterprises are “doubling down” on AI investments to improve responsiveness and streamline engagement. Meanwhile, the CallMiner’s annual CX Landscape Report found that 96 percent of global contact centre and CX leaders now view AI implementation as a core strategy, up from 87 percent the previous year.
Real-world impact is also visible among major customer facing businesses. Last year, Amazon attributed significant commercial value to its AI-powered recommendation engine, reporting that it accounted for 35 percent of revenue. Data cited by SellersCommerce further supports the importance of personalisation, finding that 91 percent of consumers prefer personalised shopping experiences and that such strategies can increase revenue by as much as 300 percent.
Defining Success
Zoom’s conclusion reflects the current business zeitgeist: “Generative AI, and more recently agentic AI, are already becoming a part of the tech stack and the daily workflow… The organisations that will experience the most success will be the ones testing and iterating on what applications have the most positive impact on customers.”
There is little doubt that AI is reshaping customer experience at speed. The measurable gains in efficiency, satisfaction, and personalisation are plain to see. The more difficult question is what the costs of this transformation will ultimately be? At what point do AI productivity gains change from a business success story to a workforce replacement nightmare.
