Nine in Ten Irish Consumers Still Use the Phone for Customer Service

Irish consumers are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and self-service for simple customer service tasks but want access to a real person when issues become complex, sensitive or require empathy, new research commissioned by the Customer Contact Management Association (CCMA) Ireland has found.

Seven in ten (77%) respondents want to be told when they are interacting with AI, while almost three in ten (29%) respondents rate AI phone agents positively.

Phone for Customer Service is still important

The Consumer Perceptions of Customer Service in Ireland and their Views on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, conducted by W5 among 1,012 Irish consumers, examined perceptions of customer service in Ireland, preferred communication channels, attitudes towards the use of AI, customer pain points, experiences of vulnerable customers and perceptions of careers in customer service.

Customer Service

Overall, six in ten (68%) consumers rated their most recent customer service interaction as good or very good, with ratings improving across most communication channels compared with a similar survey carried out in 2024.

• In-person remains the strongest-performing customer service channel at 75% (up 4% on 2024)
• Email: 61% (up 9% on 2024)
• WhatsApp/Messenger: 60% (up 5% on 2024)
• Phone: 59% (up 7% on 2024).

Despite the growth of digital channels, consumers continue to rely heavily on more established methods of communication, with nine in ten (91%) respondents using the phone and almost nine in ten (89%) using email to access customer service. Live chat with an agent has also achieved mainstream adoption, with seven in ten (70%) respondents reporting its use.

Artificial Intelligence

Consumers are increasingly comfortable with AI handling simple, repetitive and transactional tasks, such as making payments, booking appointments and tracking deliveries. However, as interactions become more complex or sensitive, consumers strongly favour human assistance. Complaints, billing issues and fraud are areas where respondents believe empathy, reassurance, understanding and problem-solving are particularly important.

AI phone agents received a relatively low satisfaction rating with almost three in ten (29%) respondents rating the experience positively, compared with five in ten (54%) who rated live agent chat positively.

Transparency is a clear expectation, with seven in ten (77%) respondents saying they want to be told when AI is being used in a customer service interaction. While just over half (57%) of respondents agree that it is currently clear when they are interacting with an AI agent, the findings indicate a significant expectation for greater transparency.

Vulnerable Customers

Vulnerable customers reported lower satisfaction with customer service, with six in ten (63%) rating their experience as good or very good compared with seven in ten (70%) among non-vulnerable respondents.

Almost three in ten (26%) respondents reported having a long-term physical or mental impairment that limits daily activities or work, including age-related conditions. The most commonly reported vulnerabilities included mental health conditions (26%), serious long-term illness (24%) and mobility impairments (24%).

Dorothy O’Byrne, CEO of CCMA Ireland, said:

“Irish companies are doing well in supporting their customers but it is clear there is room for improvement in some key areas.

It’s no surprise that customers prefer human support for complex or sensitive issues, but what is clear is that they do not want technology to come at the expense of good customer service. Long waiting times, difficulty reaching a real person, chatbots, inconsistent service and poor communication or follow-up remain among the key frustrations identified by customers

Consumers want advisors who understand their issue, provide accurate information, take ownership of problems and avoid scripted or generic responses. They also want honest answers, clearer timelines, regular updates and callbacks when promised.

The opportunity for businesses is to get the balance right – using technology to make simple interactions faster and more convenient, while ensuring customers can easily access a human when they need reassurance or help resolving a more complex issue.”

About CCMA Ireland

CCMA Ireland is a not-for-profit industry association that champions Customer Experience (CX) excellence and advocates for the customer service industry in Ireland. The industry employs over 60,000 professionals. Our members include many indigenous and international organisations in financial services, healthcare, telecoms, outsourcing and entertainment who provide customer service support from their operations in Ireland. Our mission is to promote collaboration, shared learning and best practice for customer service organisations.

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