I’m very excited to release the 2026 State of Customer Service and CX research report. In January, we surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. consumers, weighted to the population for age, gender, geography, and other population demographics.

In general, 83% say they are happy with the companies they do business with. The words in general are very important.

There are some customers who think that customer service is improving, but it’s not the majority. Forty-one percent of customers think service is better this year than last.

These numbers are encouraging, but when we go deeper, the picture becomes more complicated.
When customers were asked to think beyond their overall sentiment and answer questions related to their specific experiences, the results revealed clear warning signs.

Forty-two percent of consumers say they had more bad experiences in the past year than in previous years. This question has been part of my study for three consecutive years, and the trend is moving in the wrong direction. In 2024, that number was 38%. In 2025, it rose to 40%.

Fifty-two percent of customers say they had at least one bad customer experience in the past 12 months. So, looking at this number another way, 48% say they didn’t have a single bad experience all year. This is great news and proves that consistently solid service is absolutely achievable.

Seventy-four percent of customers believe it’s easy for companies to deliver good customer service. That perception helps explain why customers are so easily frustrated when things go wrong. From their point of view, the basics shouldn’t be hard, and they aren’t wrong.

And this is where expectations that aren’t met turn into consequences …

Sixty-six percent of customers say that no matter how much they like a company’s product, they will take their business elsewhere if the service isn’t good.

Customers may be tolerant. They may even say they are “happy” in general. But when service consistently misses the mark, loyalty and the possibility for future business disappear fast.

Customer service has two parts

First is the system, which includes processes, policies, and technology, and it’s the company’s responsibility to get this right. The other is the people, or the employees who interact with customers. They must be trained and supported to deliver the fundamentals, which are high on the list of customer expectations: being kind, helpful, and friendly. None of that is complicated.

Photo Credit: istockphoto.com/Halfpoint

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