New Talkdesk report explores AI adoption across EMEA, including the operational and workforce challenges organisations face as they expand its role
LONDON, Nov. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Talkdesk, Inc., a leader in Customer Experience Automation (CXA), today released "The State of Customer Experience Automation in EMEA," revealing a sharp divide in how widely organisations across the region use AI to resolve customer issues. While 30% use AI to resolve more than 40% of customer issues, 17% have yet to use it to resolve any.
The EMEA report draws on regional findings from "The State of Agentic Automation in CX," a global study commissioned by Talkdesk and conducted by NewtonX. It examines how organisations are deploying AI in CX, the barriers holding them back, and the operational foundations needed to move from AI adoption to AI outcomes.
AI adoption takes different paths across EMEA and North America
While EMEA and North America are at similar stages of maturity in combining AI agents with orchestration across teams and systems (15% and 14% of organisations, respectively), their operational realities diverge.
- EMEA organisations are divided in how extensively they use AI to resolve customer issues. North America, by contrast, is more concentrated at lower levels: A majority (67%) of organisations resolve 20% or less of customer issues with AI; only 8% resolve more than 40%.
- Legacy technology is a more prominent barrier to AI adoption in EMEA: 27% of organisations cite it among their biggest obstacles, compared with 12% in North America.
"AI adoption in EMEA looks very different from one organisation to the next. More are far ahead, but more have yet to start," said Pedro Andrade, global head of AI at Talkdesk. "That makes it especially important to look beyond the initial deployment and ask whether your AI is set up to deliver consistently. Can it access the right knowledge and systems? Can it work alongside people? Can you reliably test, audit, and govern it? And can the business measure the results? AI only delivers when the operational foundations are in place."
EMEA organisations have work to do to realise AI's full potential
- While 67% of EMEA organisations expect AI to resolve a greater share of customer issues within two years, only 35% have integrated customer data, and just 22% consistently measure AI's business impact, suggesting that expectations for AI are rising faster than operational readiness.
- A majority (59%) of EMEA organisations using AI agents say human agents now handle more complex cases, yet only 13% coordinate AI and people dynamically with orchestrated handoffs between them. This points to a disconnect between how AI is reshaping work and how organisations manage the human-AI hybrid workforce.
Turning AI ambition into business outcomes is as much a human challenge as a technological one. Half of EMEA organisations cite job security as a top concern about humans and AI working together, right alongside AI accuracy (47%). Despite these worries, EMEA leaders see a clear path to growth: 62% expect AI to help them scale without adding headcount, and 40% expect higher employee satisfaction as human agents shift to higher-value work.
As CX continues to shift with emerging technology, organisations need to ensure their operations can scale without compromising service quality or trust. The full report provides priorities to help leaders close this readiness gap and includes a maturity assessment to benchmark where they currently stand.
Methodology: NewtonX conducted an online quantitative survey of 60 director-level-and-above decision-makers and significant influencers responsible for CX, IT, operations, or AI strategy at mid-market and enterprise organisations (250+ employees) across EMEA. Fielded in April 2026 as part of the 2026 NewtonX "The State of Agentic Automation in CX" survey, it included respondents from financial services, retail, technology, life sciences, and other industries.
About Talkdesk
Talkdesk automates the world's most complex customer journeys. By resolving customer requests from start to finish, AI agents enable a hybrid workforce where human expertise is reserved for the moments that matter most. Backed by deep industry expertise and trusted by global leaders like Canon, United Rentals, Sysco, and Kimberly-Clark, Talkdesk sets the standard for Customer Experience Automation (CXA).
Talkdesk is a registered trademark of Talkdesk, Inc. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.
About NewtonX
NewtonX is the only B2B research intelligence platform that delivers AI-speed insights with data you can trace. We help businesses make faster, more defensible decisions, built on verified data across 140+ industries, AI-native automation, and end-to-end research expertise. Trusted by Google, TikTok, Salesforce, Stripe, Microsoft, and Coinbase. Research cited by Gartner, Fortune, Forbes, Adweek, and The Wall Street Journal. Visit newtonx.com
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Talkdesk Public Relations
pr@talkdesk.com
