Have you ever found yourself screaming “agent” or “representative” into your phone out of sheer frustration with an automated system? You’re not alone. Our research shows that 76% of customers in the US have done exactly that—and many hang up in frustration.
This matters more than you might think. A staggering 75% of consumers told us they would leave a company if they couldn’t easily connect with customer support. When customers can’t reach a human when they need one, they don’t just get annoyed—they walk away.
As someone who has spent decades studying customer experience, I’ve watched the evolution of contact center technology with great interest. The interactive voice response (IVR) system—that automated menu of “press 1 for this, 2 for that”—has long been a necessary evil. But today’s systems can be so much more sophisticated, and frankly, they need to be.
The High Cost of Poor First Impressions
The moment a customer decides to contact your company, the clock starts ticking on their experience. What happens between that decision and when they finally speak to someone shapes their entire perception of your brand.
My recent conversation with Mark Rowan, co-founder and COO of Clearcom, revealed a statistic that should alarm every business leader: 73% of consumers would avoid a company entirely if they had a poor IVR experience.
Think about that. Before customers even speak to an agent, nearly three-quarters might decide your company isn’t worth their time. In a trillion-dollar industry where customer migrations happen constantly, that’s an existential threat.
The benchmark isn’t your direct competitor—it’s the best experience your customer has had anywhere. When customers receive excellent service from any company, that becomes their new standard for everyone.
Voice Still Matters in a Digital World
Despite all the hype around digital transformation and AI, nearly 70% of customers still prefer picking up the phone as their first choice. Even among Gen Z, often portrayed as digital natives who avoid phone calls, 51% prefer voice contact.
Why? Because when something critical happens—when you’re standing at a hotel counter with a declined credit card, when you can’t access important account information, or when something has gone seriously wrong—you want to speak to a human being.
As Rowan pointed out during our conversation: “How many times have you said, ‘You know what, I’m happy to sit here on an IVR and navigate my way through, and hopefully the machine will resolve my issue’?” The answer is almost never.
There are moments when human connection isn’t just preferred—it’s necessary. The emotional element that a human agent brings can’t be replicated by even the most advanced AI.
Finding the Right Balance
Customer experience doesn’t begin when someone reaches an agent—it starts with the very first interaction. The most forward-thinking companies are creating seamless, multimodal experiences where customers can move between channels without friction.
The future of contact centers likely includes:
- Conversational AI that sounds human and can handle complex interactions
- Systems that remember where you were in a previous interaction
- The ability to switch between chat, voice, and other channels without starting over
- Automatic routing to a human for complex or emotional issues
The best companies are already implementing these technologies, and they’re not breaking the bank to do it. As Rowan explained, many AI enhancements are now affordable bolt-ons to existing infrastructure.
What World-Class Brands Are Doing Differently
The companies leading in customer experience share two key traits:
First, they’re embracing AI—not by building it from scratch, but by implementing proven solutions and training them for their specific needs. This allows them to evolve quickly without lengthy development cycles.
Second, they’ve created executive positions focused on customer experience. The rise of the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) signals that customer experience isn’t just a department—it’s a strategic priority that deserves C-suite attention.
Every company, regardless of size, needs someone responsible for ensuring customers get an experience that makes them say, “I’ll be back.”
Embrace Change or Face Extinction
The most dangerous phrase in business is “that’s how we’ve always done it.” Just ask Blockbuster, which had the opportunity to buy Netflix for a bargain price but couldn’t imagine a world without physical video stores.
Your customers aren’t comparing you to your direct competitors—they’re comparing you to the best experience they’ve had anywhere. If you’re not constantly evolving your customer contact strategy, you’re already falling behind.
The companies that will thrive are those willing to embrace change, implement new technologies thoughtfully, and never forget that at the end of the day, customers just want their problems solved with minimal friction. Whether that happens through an advanced AI system or a human agent depends on the situation—but making sure it happens should be your top priority.
