Medallia: Despite AI, only 17% of customers say their experience has improved over the past year
The figures come from Medallia's own State of CX research, whose methodology the company does not disclose. The company's blog post points to its own product, Frontline-Ready AI, as an example of the solution it proposes.
What's happening
According to Medallia's State of CX research, despite the spread of AI, only 17% of customers say their typical experience with companies has improved over the past year. In the same study, 58% of customers say they choose a company that offers a better experience than its competitors, and 39% prefer whichever option resolves their issue fastest, human or AI; a similar share say they would pay more for human service at the moments that matter.
Whose desk it lands on
The executive responsible for customer experience. Is this year's AI budget going to the bot that talks to customers, or to the tools in the hands of the agents who talk to customers?
Our view
The CX Brief's interpretation, not a claim made by the source.
If even a company that sells AI products finds in its own research that only 17% of customers say their experience has improved over the past year, the shortfall lies not in the tool but in where it meets the customer. In the same study, 39% of customers choose whichever option resolves their issue fastest, human or AI, and a similar share say they would pay more for human service at the moments that matter. Read together, these two findings make the yardstick for AI investment clear: it should resolve issues faster, and it should not close off the path to a human when it matters.
Source
Medallia Blog·October 8, 2026
Conflict of interest: Medallia Blog sells products or services in this space.
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