Retro vibes might be cool when it comes to fashion, music, even décor – but they aren’t when it comes to customer experience (CX).
The world seems like it’s moving faster than ever: technology is evolving, customer expectations are rising, and economic uncertainty is rewriting the rules. If you’re confused about where to invest, don’t understand the economics of AI, or are afraid to act, you’re not alone.
But don’t let uncertainty paralyze you. If your CX stays stuck in the past, you’re not just behind; you’re losing customer loyalty and revenue by the day.
Our trends report, CX Trends 2026: Fast Forward is here to help you embrace the future with confidence – because yesterday’s roadblocks and outdated thinking won’t cut it anymore.
Here are some of the insights informing our 2026 CX trends:
42% of organizations still rely heavily on manual processes to analyze CX data
21% of brands in Forrester’s global Customer Experience Index saw rankings decline in 2025 and 73% remained unchanged
95% of generative AI pilots are generating no measurable return for businesses
62% of CX and contact center leaders say they often don’t use CX data to their best advantage
Some things age well. Outdated CX doesn’t.
Agentic AI becomes standard
AI that acts on its own will play a key role in the next era of CX, but it must be rooted in strong data if it’s going to succeed.
Agentic AI made the trends list last year, but this year will evolve beyond “answer this question” to “accomplish this objective.” It will be autonomously deciding steps, using tools, and iterating based on results.
For most brands, initial use cases will start in the back office. Agentic AI will become more customer-facing as companies’ AI-readiness matures.
To earn customer trust in agentic AI, brands need to show it works and is safe. That starts with clean, curated, and continuously updated data, and means applying agentic AI to the appropriate tasks (not edge cases) to ensure it is reliable.
CX’s future will be built on resilience
The world’s changing quickly and brands that wait to respond to challenges are already behind. Companies that thrive aren’t reactive; they’re agile.
Reacting costs time, money, and headaches. In 2026, winning brands will anticipate, adapt, and pivot seamlessly. Invest in technology that helps you become more agile without sacrificing along the way.
The right people and technology make it possible to shift CX from reacting to anticipating — and in a world of rising customer expectations, that shift is essential.
The CX landscape is expanding, and global opportunities abound. Overcome limited internal bandwidth by tapping into offshore hubs like South Africa, Colombia, the Philippines, and India that offer onshore-level CX quality at significant cost savings. The work-at-home revolution also opens access to a global labor pool, letting you scale faster and smarter.
People are a crucial part of the equation, but need to be empowered with the right technology. Set your teams up for success with AI-powered insights that help them understand customer habits, spot patterns, and identify roadblocks in real time. This will evolve CX from reactive to proactive.
Intelligent automation should also play a key role. From fraud prevention to operational efficiency, proactive automation solves problems before they happen – instead of cleaning up after them.
To read more about this and the other CX trends we’re predicting, check out our trends report, “CX Trends 2026: Fast Forward.”
