The 2026 US Customer Experience Decision-Makers’ Guide
How CX leaders are prioritizing experience, technology, and AI — and where execution still falls short.
Customer experience has become a defining competitive strategy for organizations. However, despite widespread executive commitment, many teams still struggle to turn CX ambition into consistent, measurable business results.
The 2026 US Customer Experience Decision-Makers’ Guide brings together data, benchmarks, and real-world examples to help CX, contact center, and operations leaders understand how peers are investing in experience — and where the biggest opportunities exist to improve satisfaction, efficiency, and loyalty.
Sponsored by MiaRec
What’s Inside the Guide
How CX Priorities Are Shifting in 2026
Lean how customer experience ranks alongside price and product quality in today’s competitive landscape — and where organizations are missing opportunities to use CX more effectively.
Where Organizations Are Investing — and Where Gaps Remain
Understand how CX budgets are being allocated across technology, digital channels, analytics, and process improvement.
How AI and Analytics Are Impacting CX Outcomes
See how organizations use AI and analytics today, what they plan to adopt next, and how leading teams balance automation with human-led service.
Why Download This Report?
Get a Clear Benchmark for Your CX Strategy
Only 36% of organizations prioritize CX as a competitive differentiator
Invest where it matters
44% of respondents cite legacy tech and 48% lack a unified customer view
Adopt AI with confidence
61% of customers still trust humans more than AI for understanding issues
Key Takeaways at a Glance
- CX is recognized as a competitive advantage — but execution still lags
Only 36% of organizations rank customer experience as their primary competitive factor, despite 67% citing strong executive commitment to CX initiatives. - Telephony still dominates customer interactions
Telephone interactions (live and self-service) account for 61.6% of all inbound interactions, even as digital channels like web chat continue to grow. - Analytics is essential for uncovering CX issues
70% of respondents find analytics useful for checking interaction quality, and over 50% say it is “very useful” for identifying dissatisfied customers and business process failures. - AI adoption is increasing — but customer trust remains fragile
While 46% of organizations currently use AI technologies like chatbots and call transcription, 61% of customers say AI understands their issues worse than human agents, and 40% worry about accuracy. - The strongest CX strategies balance automation with human empathy
66% of customers are willing to use AI in specific situations — such as quick answers or avoiding wait times — reinforcing the need for AI that complements, rather than replaces, human-led service.
See How CX Leaders Are Planning for 2026
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