Leading in the AI era with contextual intelligence

Most of us have experienced a moment like this. You contact support, explain the issue, and share your details. You upload screenshots, attach a short video, or provide the exact steps that led to the problem. Then the conversation shifts, or a new person joins, and suddenly you are asked to repeat every single thing again. It feels small at first, but these moments stack up quickly. This unnecessary friction slows down resolution, drains patience, and quietly erodes trust in the overall experience.

For years, customer experience teams were measured almost entirely on responsiveness. Faster replies. Shorter queues. Shorter handle times. These were the markers of good service. And for a while, they worked.

But expectations have changed. A quick reply without a meaningful resolution no longer feels satisfying. A fast greeting doesn’t matter if the conversation stalls or restarts every time the context shifts. Customers now judge the experience by the quality of the resolution, the continuity of the interaction, and the feeling that the brand understands their situation without extra effort.

Customer expectations are rising faster than many organizations can adjust. The 2026 Zendesk CX Trends report makes this clear. In fact, 83% of consumers believe customer experience should be far better than it is today.

This is why the shift toward contextual intelligence matters. Customers want service that remembers them. CX teams want systems that carry forward the information they already have. AI is beginning to bridge this gap and create a more consistent, intuitive, and higher quality experience across every touchpoint.

Before diving into the major themes, here are a few findings that set the stage for what is coming next:

• 85% of CX leaders believe memory rich AI will be essential to personalized experiences.

• 74% of consumers expect round the clock availability.

• 76% would choose a company that allows them to share text, images, and video in one continuous thread.

• 81% of leaders believe prompt driven analytics will transform decision making.

• 95% of consumers want to understand why AI makes certain decisions.

These shifts signal a larger movement. CX is moving past speed alone and into an era defined by resolution quality, transparency, and context that follows the customer wherever they go.

1. Memory rich AI changes personalization and loyalty

Customers no longer see personalization as a bonus. They see it as a baseline expectation. The report shows that 85%of CX leaders believe memory rich AI will play a central role in creating personalized, resilient customer journeys.

Memory rich AI retains details from earlier conversations and uses them to inform the next interaction. It reduces repetitive questioning, provides continuity for customers who switch channels, and gives agents the context they need without searching across multiple systems.

Understandably, 74% of consumers say repeating themselves is a significant frustration. High maturity organizations already using memory rich AI are 2x as likely to report CSAT improvements and stronger loyalty.
Personalization is about reducing effort and recognizing history in ways that create a more human experience.

Why this matters: Personalization at this level strengthens loyalty, reduces customer effort, and helps teams deliver consistent experiences at scale.

2. AI powered self service reshapes first contact resolution

Self service has evolved from a static knowledge base into a dynamic, AI driven path that customers now expect to work at any time. 74% of consumers expect 24 hour availability, and 86% say the speed and accuracy of service directly influence their likelihood to buy.

The quality of the first interaction matters more than ever. 85% of CX leaders say customers will leave a brand after unresolved issues on the first contact.

Agentic AI plays an important role here. It can retrieve policy details, process refunds, complete multi step tasks, and make decisions that previously required human involvement.

This trend is pushing teams to invest in knowledge, training, and workflows that allow AI to resolve complex tasks. Customers expect self service that actually resolves the issue.

Why this matters: Customers want answers that actually solve the problem. Getting it right the first time builds confidence in your digital experience.

3. Multimodal support becomes the new normal

Customers now use multiple formats to communicate in their personal lives. They text, send photos, share screens, and record short videos without thinking about it. They want the same experience when they contact a brand.

Zendesk’s research shows that 76% of consumers would choose a company that allows them to send text, images, and video in a single thread without starting over.

Multimodal support lets customers describe and show their issue in the most natural way. It also gives AI more clarity and improves accuracy. CX leaders are optimistic about this shift: 86% believe multimodal agents will define the next wave of AI in service and 85% believe these capabilities will feel almost magical to customers.

Organizations that begin integrating multimodal tools now will reduce friction, accelerate resolution, and create interactions that match how customers naturally communicate.

Why this matters: Meeting customers in the formats they already use accelerates clarity, reduces back and forth, and creates a more natural support experience.

4. Prompt driven analytics reshape how teams work

A major development in this year’s report is the rise of promptable analytics. These tools allow employees to ask questions in plain language and get instant insights without waiting for formal reporting cycles.

82% of CX leaders believe promptable analytics unlock insights that once took weeks of analysis. 81% believe this kind of access will change decision making across the organization.

High maturity organizations are adopting AI driven metrics at twice the rate of low maturity teams. They are complementing CSAT and FCR with performance indicators like automation containment, bot satisfaction, and cost per contact. These metrics help teams identify friction points faster and improve the experience more intentionally.

Why this matters: When teams can access insights instantly, they make better decisions, resolve issues faster, and identify friction before it impacts the customer.

5. Transparency becomes central to trust

As AI becomes more integrated into customer experience, clarity and transparency matter more. The report shows that 95% of consumers want to understand the reasoning behind AI decisions, and expectations for transparency have increased 63% since last year.

Despite this, only 37% of organizations currently provide customers or agents with the explanation behind an automated decision. High maturity organizations are responding faster. 86% have already implemented or plan to implement AI reasoning controls that offer clear, simple explanations.

Transparency builds confidence, reduces confusion, and strengthens trust. Even when the final answer is not what the customer hoped for, understanding the reason changes how the interaction is perceived.

Why this matters: Clear explanations build trust and help customers feel confident engaging with AI driven support.

The future of CX belongs to organizations that move with intention

Zendesk’s 2026 CX Trends report highlights a clear pattern. Organizations that embrace contextual intelligence are outperforming on speed, personalization, resolution quality, and customer trust. 97% of Zendesk customers already report a positive ROI from their AI investments.

The next era of CX will reward teams that give customers and agents the continuity they need, reduce friction across the journey, and use AI to create experiences that feel simple, intuitive, and human.
The opportunity is already here. The leaders who move with intention will set the pace for what great customer experience looks like in 2026.