Two surveys conducted in mid-2024 may hold clues to AI acceptance trends among certain cohorts of APAC consumers and CX professionals

Based on two survey sources* conducted between June and July 2024 on customer experience (CX) matters, a customer experience platform has published some findings for the Asia Pacific region (APAC) which forms around 23.5% of the combined sample populations.

First, 80% of consumer respondents representing APAC [Australia (3.9%), India (5.6%), Japan (3%), Malaysia (0.6%), Philippines (1.1%), Singapore (2.9%), South Korea (5.2%), Philippines (1.1%), Singapore (2.9%), South Korea (5.2%), Thailand (1%) indicated they believed that a clear gap was forming between firms that leveraged AI effectively in customer service and those that did not.

Second, 79% of the APAC consumer respondents indicated favorable views towards AI: 6% more than in a previous year’s survey. Also, there was a 7% increase in APAC consumer respondents citing their belief that AI improved the quality of customer service.

Third, 72% of the same consumer respondents representing APAC had indicated expectations of more personalized service due to AI. Also:

  • 70% of consumer respondents representing APAC indicated they were willing to switch to a competitor due to just one bad experience: This was 10% higher than in the previous year’s cohort. Of respondents on the customer service frontlines representing APAC, 70% had cited seeing less brand loyalty among consumers.
  • 81% of consumer respondents representing APAC agreed to prompts that a company’s customer service is not just a touchpoint but a battleground for their loyalty.
  • 85% of CX respondents (APAC) deemed as “trendsetters” had reported positive returns-on-investments on AI tools for agents, compared to 31% of the APAC group that were deemed not using AI proficiently
  • 63% of CX respondents (APAC) confirmed the effectiveness of AI agents, a 9% improvement in a previous year’s survey. Among CX respondents (APAC) deemed as “trendsetters”, 77% had deemed AI agents effective.
  • 87% of CX respondents (APAC) deemed as trendsetters were planning for a near future (within 2 years) where consumers will use AI assistants to interact with their customer service ecosystem. Also, 83% of CX trendsetters (APAC) cited their belief that voice-activated digital interfaces will make text-based interactions less common in customer service.

According to Tom Eggemeier, CEO, Zendesk, the firm that commissioned the surveys: “AI should be more than just another technology we use — it’s a way to bring companies and customers closer, and it’s redefining the relationships we can build.”

*Survey 1: 5,082 consumers of all age groups across Australia (3.9%), Brazil (5.4%), Canada (5.2%), Chile (5.2%), Colombia (5.2%), Denmark (2.8%), France (5.2%), Germany (5.2%), India (5.6%), Italy (5.2%), Japan (3%), Malaysia (0.6%), Mexico (5.2%), Netherlands (2.9%), Philippines (1.1%), Singapore (2.9%), South Korea (5.2%), Spain (5.2%), Sweden (2.9%), Thailand (1%), the UK (9.5%), the US (11.6%)

Survey 2: 5,503 leaders in customer service and experience (70.3%), agents (20.7%) and technology buyers from small to large enterprises across Australia (4.6%), Brazil (4.7%), Canada (4.4%), Chile (4.6%), Colombia (4.7%), Denmark (3.4%), France (4.7%), Germany (4.4%), India (4.5%), Italy (4.5%), Japan (4.4%); Malaysia (1.2%), Mexico (4.4%), Netherlands (3.6%), Philippines (1.1%), Singapore (2.5%), South Korea (4.4%), Spain (4.4%), Sweden (3.5%), Thailand (1.1%), the UK (10.6%), the US (14.4%). Results from each survey were weighted to remove bias from the survey samples.