NEW YORK — In news that likely won’t surprise anyone who has ever repeatedly yelled “representative!” into their phone that even as more credit unions invest in chatbots, a new survey has found consumers are increasingly impatient with automated customer service systems, with most unwilling to repeat information or spend more than a few minutes interacting with a chatbot before seeking help from a human representative, according to a new survey by Parloa.
The survey of 1,001 U.S. consumers found that 60% of respondents said they would repeat themselves only once before abandoning an automated customer service experience. Another 11% said they would leave immediately the first time they were asked to repeat information.
The findings underscore growing frustration with customer service technology that fails to understand customer requests or efficiently resolve issues, Customer Experience Dive reported.
According to the survey, more than half of consumers, 56%, said they would spend less than three minutes interacting with an automated system before asking to speak with a person.
The Key Frustrations
Respondents identified several key frustrations with customer service systems, including:
- Talking to a bot that does not understand them.
- Long hold times.
- Being transferred multiple times.
- Having to repeat information.
Customer confidence in artificial intelligence also remains limited, according to the survey.
Only 14% of respondents said they completely trust future AI systems to handle complex customer service requests better than humans. Meanwhile, 37% said they expect increased automation to produce worse outcomes before delivering improvements.
Additional Dissatisfaction
The survey found similar dissatisfaction with interactive voice response (IVR) systems.
According to Parloa:
- Only 7% of consumers said IVR systems consistently resolve their issues.
- Forty-five percent said IVR technology sometimes helps but rarely provides a complete resolution.
Julie Geller, principal research director at Info-Tech Research Group, told Customer Experience Dive that companies can improve automated service experiences by designing technology around actual customer interactions rather than assumptions about consumer needs.
Geller said organizations can reduce customer frustration and improve resolution times by training AI systems on the most common service requests and analyzing internal customer-service data.
Not a Metric, But a ‘Signal’
“Organizations should analyze contact center transcripts and chat logs to identify the highest-friction issues customers encounter,” Geller said in comments reported by Customer Experience Dive. “We need to start treating friction as a system signal rather than just a metric.”
Geller added that companies should measure the quality of automated resolutions, not just the volume of issues resolved. She warned that AI systems that successfully address only basic inquiries while struggling with common exceptions can damage consumer trust.
Despite concerns, the survey found many consumers remain open to automation when it delivers meaningful results.
What Findings Also Suggest
Three-quarters of respondents said they would prefer automated customer service if the technology could anticipate their needs and proactively address issues, according to Parloa.
The findings suggest that while consumers remain skeptical of current automated service tools, they may be willing to embrace AI-driven customer service if companies can improve accuracy, reduce friction and provide faster, more personalized assistance.
