60 Eye-Catching Customer Service Statistics For 2026
Want to learn more about the state of customer service this year? You’re in the right place.
We’ve curated a list of the most important customer service statistics from all of the latest industry reports.
These stats shed light on how consumer expectations are changing when it comes to customer support and provide valuable insights that will help to inform your CX strategy for the year ahead.
Editor’s top picks
- The customer service software market has reached over $24.6 billion (Gartner)
- 80% of customer service departments will increase budgets this year (Zendesk)
- 82% of customer service leaders think more customers now expect personalized support (Intercom)
- 88% of consumers believe customer service matters as much as the product (Salesforce)
- Almost half of all surveyed consumers have switched brands for better customer service (Salesforce)
- Phone is still the number one customer service channel (Salesforce)
- Video is the fastest-growing customer service channel
- 45% of surveyed customer service leaders say they use AI (Salesforce)
- 72% of surveyed customer service leaders say expanding AI usage will be important this year (Zendesk)
General customer service statistics
Let’s kick things off with some general customer service statistics that reveal the current size and shape of the industry, as well as some of the most notable trends of the last year.
1. The customer service and support software market is over $24.6 billion
The market reached that value in 2020 following a 12.9% year-over-year (YoY) growth. This growth was primarily driven by the pandemic, which forced marketers to lean more heavily on software to find new ways to engage with their clients online while also supporting their remote workers.
Source: Gartner
2. 60% of customer service professionals say customer expectations increased during the pandemic, but…
In the latest Salesforce survey of customer service pros, respondents noted that consumer expectations regarding customer service are higher now than they were pre-pandemic.
Source: Salesforce
3. …76% of customers are satisfied with the service they’ve received over the last year
While customer expectations amongst the public may be higher now than a few years ago, it looks like the vast majority of companies are stepping up and meeting those expectations.
Over three-quarters of customers surveyed by Zendesk said they were happy with the level of service they’d received over the last year. And 57% noticed a marked improvement in customer support.
Source: Zendesk
4. 56% of consumers feel positive about their support interactions over the last year
Building on the last point, this statistic reinforces the idea that brands have stepped up their games when it comes to customer support. 56% of surveyed consumers said they felt positive about their interactions with customer service reps this year, 25% said they felt neutral, and only 19% said they felt negative.
Source: Zendesk
5. 80% of decision-makers plan to increase their customer support budget next year
Brands continue to invest heavily in customer service. Around four-fifths plan to increase their budget for customer support over the coming year.
Source: Zendesk
6. 59% of customer service professionals think speed and quality are equally important when it comes to customer service
Customer service departments continue to have to strike a balance between providing quality support and efficiency.
While most surveyed pros say the two are equally important, the number that said speed is more important than offering quality customer service jumped from 7% in 2020 to 15% in 2022. This speed is definitely becoming more important as businesses prioritize efficiency in the current economic climate.
Source: Salesforce
7. 82% of customer support leaders say customer expectations for personalized support have increased over the last year
One of the main trends of the last year or so has been the shift to personalized support. This is something that consumers now expect from the brands they interact with, and 89% of support leaders think personalized support will be an important competitive differentiator this year.
Source: Intercom
8. …but 54% lack the right tools to offer personalized support at scale
While most customer service pros recognize the need to offer personalized support, over half say their tech stack is holding them back from achieving it.
Source: Intercom
How important is customer service?
Next, let’s look at some customer service statistics that highlight its importance and the benefits that providing great customer service can bring to brands.
9. Customer service is the third top priority for customers when choosing where to do business
When asked what factors they consider when choosing where to do business, 89% of surveyed consumers pointed to customer service. This makes it the third-top decision-making factor, just behind product quality (96%) and price (94%).
Source: Hyken
10. 88% of surveyed consumers say customer experience matters as much as the product
That’s right; customer service is so crucial that 88% of consumers see the experience you offer as equally important to the product. Interestingly, that’s up from 80% in 2020, reflecting increasing consumer expectations.
Source: Salesforce
11. 48% of consumers have switched brands for better customer service
If you’re not offering stellar customer service, you’re losing customers. It’s that simple.
Source: Salesforce
12. 94% of consumers say that good customer service makes them more likely to make a repeat purchase
Providing excellent customer service helps with customer retention, which can have a big impact on your bottom line. So it’s no wonder that 54% of customer service professionals say customer service is viewed by their company as a revenue generator rather than a cost.
Source: Salesforce
Customer service and consumer expectations
We’ve already talked a little bit about how consumers have higher expectations this year when it comes to customer service. Next, we’ll look at some stats that show exactly what it is they expect brands to do differently.
13. 73% of customers expect brands to understand their individual needs…
Consumers don’t want generic support and interactions – they want to know that brands understand and value them as an individual. That’s what good customer service looks like this year.
Source: Salesforce
14. …but 56% say most brands still treat them like numbers
Customers may feel that customer service is getting better on the whole, but when it comes to offering individualized support, they still think companies are falling short of the mark.
Source: Salesforce
15. 83% of consumers expect to interact with someone immediately upon contact
Speed is paramount when it comes to supporting your customers. If a customer contacts your customer service team, they expect you to respond straight away. And 83% expect that the first person they speak to will be able to resolve complex problems for them.
Source: Salesforce
16. 59% of consumers want businesses to use their data to personalize their customer experience
We’ve already talked about how consumers these days expect personalized service, but what’s interesting is that they’re willing to put aside their data privacy concerns for it. The majority of customers are happy for the brands they like to use their data for personalization, and 70% said they’ll spend more time with brands that offer personalized experiences.
Source: Zendesk
17. 59% of consumers prefer self-service support for simple issues/questions…
It’s that age-old question: Do customers prefer self-service support or to contact a customer service agent? According to this statistic, it looks like most prefer to find answers to their own questions via self-service as long as the problem is straightforward.
Source: Salesforce