Thanks to AI, there’s another seismic shift taking place in customer service. Teams fully integrating AI—not just as a one-off solution, but as an engine for transformation and change—are bypassing their peers at breakneck speed. These CX Trendsetters aren’t just pulling ahead, they’re carving out a new path, achieving higher ROI and customer satisfaction, all while setting new standards for business success.
For one such CX Trendsetter, Siemens financial division, AI agents enable instant and often proactive communication with customers. That means the team can now send invoice copies to customers without them having to ask or get a human agent involved. As a result, the team has seen their customer satisfaction rates surge past industry benchmarks, with agents able to spend more time with customers that need a little extra help.
It’s these little efficiency gains that are adding up to some of the biggest CX changes we’ve seen since call centers or the internet. Yet, while some organizations are leading the charge by embracing AI-powered innovation, others—CX Traditionalists—are hesitating and falling behind.
This isn’t the time to sit on the sidelines. AI has accelerated the transformation timeline for companies and clear leaders have emerged, with 70% of customers noticing a widening gap between organizations that are leveraging AI effectively and those that aren’t.
If you’re in that latter category, maintaining a healthy business outlook may be problematic. According to our research, 73% of CX leaders believe that adopting AI at scale is the only way to survive the competitive pressures of the next five years.
The good news? There’s still time to catch up. In fact, 6 out of 10 CX Traditionalists are looking to become more AI driven in the next year. But success will require bold and decisive steps forward—and perhaps a page or two from the CX Trendsetter playbook.
Here are three key areas where CX Trendsetters have big plans for their AI investments:
1. Boosting customer loyalty and retention
That lofty goal of personalized interactions for every customer is now easier than ever to achieve. Over 90% of CX Trendsetters believe that AI is critical to delivering more tailored service at scale. And they’re going beyond personalization to actually get proactive with customers—using AI to suggest products or services that align with each customer’s unique preferences and shopping history.
With AI creating a consistent experience across all channels, CX Trendsetters are ensuring that their customers feel understood and seen, no matter how they choose to engage.
2. Creating more natural, human-like experiences
CX Trendsetters are on a mission to make exchanges like “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that, please try again,” a thing of the past. And by using more advanced AI tools like Generative AI in text and voice, they’re crafting customer experiences that feel more natural, friendly, and conversational.
That’s a good thing, as nearly two-thirds of customers say they’re more likely to trust an AI agent that feels genuinely human. To meet these expectations, CX Trendsetters are exploring the latest and greatest in Voice AI to create more seamless, natural interactions across channels. The result? Fewer frustrating phrases and more of the smooth, conversational interactions that keep customers engaged and coming back.
3. Implementing new tools to empower agents
CX Trendsetters are equipping their agents with the tools and training required to perform at the highest level—whether they’re new to the job or a seasoned pro. With AI copilots, these companies are ensuring that all agents have real-time support needed to onboard quickly, boost their efficiency, and free up time to focus on more complex, higher-value tasks.
These CX Trendsetters are also working diligently to upskill their teams, offering hands-on training on workflows between agents and AI. For these efforts, they’re seeing higher rates of job satisfaction among agents that often leads to greater retention rates and better customer outcomes.
Dive deeper with Zendesk’s CX Trends Report 2025
The takeaway is clear: organizations fully integrating AI today are emerging as the CX leaders of tomorrow. CX Trendsetters aren’t just setting new standards for customer satisfaction and operational efficiency, they’re raising the bar on quality by creating experiences that feel more personal, conversational—and human.
As the gap widens between those taking innovative steps forward and those staying rooted in place, CX leaders everywhere face a critical choice: adopt AI boldly or risk being left behind.
Dive deeper into the trends shaping the future of CX and exploring winning strategies with Zendesk’s CX Trends Report 2025.
