Nearly two-thirds of consumers are open to using AI if it resolves their complex issue; however, almost 70% will abandon AI after two failures
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zingtree, a customer experience (CX) AI company that helps enterprises optimize customer service and increase revenue, today released new consumer research on the expectations and perceptions of AI for complex customer support - the instances where issues require multiple interactions, take more than 30 minutes to resolve, or involve a high-stakes problem, such as a financial or healthcare-related matter.
As AI usage has increased in customer service, its applications have largely centered on its ability to resolve routine questions quickly and efficiently. However, not all customer queries are straightforward. Today, complex support requests require AI agents to have a deep understanding of company policies and procedures, industry regulations, compliance requirements, and customer context. In many cases, resolving these issues also requires human judgment and decision-making to ensure they are handled appropriately.
According to the survey, 90% of consumers had at least one complex issue in the last year, and of those, 50% had one or more issues that were never resolved.
Key survey findings, based on the consumers who experienced at least one complex support issue in the past 12 months, include:
- AI is more trusted for simple requests than complex queries:
- 6 out of 10 consumers said they trust AI for simple requests, but not for complex issues
- 64% of respondents trust AI more when it gives them control over when they can transfer directly to a human agent
- 50% of consumers said AI gave them generic, unhelpful answers during their most recent complex support issue
- When complex support issues go unresolved, consumers blame the company:
- 37% of consumers felt that the company could have solved the problem but made the process too difficult or slow
- 34% of respondents felt that the company understood the problem but didn't know how to solve it
- 19% of consumers felt that the company never understood the problem
- Frustrations are grounded in wasted time:
- For consumers, the single biggest frustration in complex support is wasting time with AI that fails to resolve the issue (27%), followed by having to repeat information to a human after AI fails (24%)
- 50% of respondents have had to repeat previously provided information to a human rep after being transferred from the AI
"Our work in high-stakes, highly regulated industries has shown that AI's role in resolving complex customer issues is fundamentally different from handling simple, straightforward queries," said Juan Jaysingh, CEO of Zingtree. "From the consumer perspective, complex support is the next proving ground for AI. They are willing to give it a chance, but the window to get it right is small. If AI can't resolve an issue or fails to effectively transfer a customer to a human agent with full context, businesses risk eroding the trust and loyalty they've worked to build."
The survey, conducted from July to August 2026 by CMSWire INSIGHTS, included 1,040 adult consumers who live in the United States and have experienced at least one complex support issue in the past 12 months.
To download the report, please visit: https://zingtree.com/en/beyond-basic-cx
About Zingtree
Zingtree is the AI agent governance layer for complex CX. Zingtree empowers customer operations teams to safely harness AI across self-service, agent assist, and internal CX operations workflows. Zingtree is trusted by Sony, Corpay, Experian, 1st Central, and more to maximize governance and performance by boosting FCR, CSAT, and revenue while mitigating compliance risk. Learn more at www.zingtree.com.
Media Contact:
Maddie Esper
0to5 for Zingtree
zingtree@0to5.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f830cb95-e7ce-4abb-9892-b0fa06788189
