Is Voice AI the next frontier in CX?

The 7th annual CX report from Zendesk is in! A global survey across 22 countries reveals five key trends shaping the AI-powered future of CX:

1?? Autonomous service accelerates: 90% of companies report positive ROI from AI-driven agent tools 2?? Trust in AI depends on personality: 64% of consumers are more comfortable with AI that’s engaging and human-like 3?? Personal AI assistants take the wheel: 67% are eager to hand off customer service tasks to AI 4?? Voice AI is turning up the volume: 51% have interacted with it, 60% want brands to adopt it and 67% believe more natural-sounding AI would enhance experiences 5?? Personalization is the loyalty play: 61% now expect AI-powered, hyper-personalized service

??? Let’s talk Voice AI. Your brand has likely implemented its first text-based LLM — yet 90% of CX business trendsetters say voice-driven interactions are the future. And while Alexa and Siri still fumble, conversational AI is continuously raising consumer expectations. No surprise — people spend hours talking to ChatGPT, sometimes more candidly than with their therapists. A recent study confirms it: lower AI literacy increases receptivity, meaning many engage with AI without hesitation. At this point, LLMs might know more about consumers than most insight teams. ??

?? So, forget bots that simply react — voice-based LLMs can initiate, anticipate and engage in real conversations. This shift unlocks vast opportunities, but it also demands responsibility. Trust isn’t just about AI sounding human — it’s about knowing how, where and when to use it. So, where does Voice AI fit into your brand’s consumer journey?

?? And just as importantly, where do people still need — and even crave — human interaction to build true human-to-human connections, not bot-to-human ones? With digital-first everything, how can your brand act as a stepping stone to help people bridge the gap between online comfort and face-to-face confidence??

By Franziska Füsting