New research from Trustpilot has revealed that businesses are facing a challenge to keep up with changing consumer demands when it comes to customer service.
Nearly half (48%) of consumers nationwide have had at least one poor customer service experience in the last year1. It means businesses have failed to shrink the figure from the 47% recorded in Trustpilot’s 2025 research2.
But while people’s individual experiences haven’t changed much, their perception of customer service in general has. In fact, the proportion of people who feel customer service standards have declined in the last year has grown. One in five (19%) – or over 10 million Brits3 – feel this way, a 4% increase from last year.
There could be multiple reasons for this, including consumers’ expectations going up, or rising prices making people more sensitive to poor service. Regardless, the findings highlight that businesses need to keep up with changing consumer expectations to maintain trust, even while juggling rising costs and pressure to improve efficiency.
Tolerance for poor service is waning
It appears customers may now be less tolerant towards poor customer service. Every interaction counts, as on average, it now takes just 2.1 poor experiences for a customer to leave a negative review, a drop from 2.3 in 2025’s research. This is putting business sales at risk, as three-quarters of consumers say they are influenced by customer reviews4.
When it comes to getting customer service right, consumers say access to the right information and timely support matter most. Over half of people (55%) say that being able to speak to a human over a chatbot is important – up from 51% last year2 and moving up from second place in 2025.
Heading into next year – as well as being able to speak to a human, people want faster responses to questions (36%), and empathy from customer service agents (33%).
Generations divided on AI, but reviews build confidence in AI-generated recommendations
The popularity of AI in customer service varies by generation. Just 4% of those surveyed are keen to see an increased use of AI, a 6% drop from last year. More Gen Z are open to AI use in customer service (9%), but Gen X and Baby Boomers are almost entirely against it with only 2% thinking it is a good idea.
While Brits are wary of AI being used in the customer experience itself, they are increasingly using AI tools themselves to find out which brands provide the best service. Three quarters (74%) of Brits say they use AI tools at least once a week to buy products or services5. Increasingly, these tools are giving consumers the power to research and compare brands for their specific needs, while staying in control of their buying process.
Nearly half (46%) say they would feel more confident buying from a brand if an AI summary highlighted that reviews mention good customer service. This effect was most common in younger consumers – adult Gen Z (52%) and Millennials (56%). A similar proportion (47%) would be put off by a summary mentioning reviews about poor customer service.
Kate Delaney, VP of marketing at Trustpilot, said: “If you don’t have happy customers, you can’t grow a successful business – which makes it crucial to get customer service right. Nearly half of consumers nationwide have experienced poor customer service lately, and tolerance for poor service is dropping.
“Reviews regularly show up in AI answers, because AI tools look for real-life evidence that backs up brand promises. More and more people are using AI tools to find and choose products. So businesses that don’t prioritise collecting and responding to feedback risk being invisible when users ask AI to do product research and comparisons.
“Inside businesses, AI and automation can help businesses to create new customer experiences, run more efficiently, and scale up their operations. But our research found that when technology gets in the way of human connection, trust is lost fast.
“Human support is still king in customer service. Businesses can build trust by building their customer service on real human connection, empathy, and reliability.”
