Twilio: Speed isn't everything; sometimes a little friction helps
In Twilio's research, 69% of consumers prefer a human, yet 72% would choose an agent if faster resolution of their issue were guaranteed. Twilio's explanation is that context matters more than speed.
What's happening
According to CX Network, Twilio's Sam Richardson, writing in an article, questions the assumption that faster is always better and argues that context matters more than speed. Richardson uses the term "responsible friction" for an approach that does not slow the experience down for no reason but accepts that a little friction sometimes helps.
Whose desk it lands on
The contact center lead. When a customer talking to an AI agent gets frustrated, is the customer handed off to a human with the conversation's context intact?
Our view
The CX Brief's interpretation, not a claim made by the source.
Twilio's two figures do not contradict each other: although most consumers prefer a human, they may choose the agent if faster resolution is guaranteed. This suggests customers do not consistently prefer either humans or AI; they choose a service based on their problem and how fast it gets resolved.
Source
Source:Twilio·Sample: Twilio's latest research
Reported by: CX Network·October 29, 2026
Conflict of interest: This is Twilio's own research, not the work of an independent research organization.
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