Melbourne, 12 May 2026: Symbos has released the 10th edition of the State of Customer Experience in Australia, in partnership with Swinburne University’s CXI Research Group. Ten years of consumer research tells a clear story. Australians know what good customer service looks like, they expect more of it every year, and the gap between what they expect and what they think they’re getting is still widening. Customer experience performance is improving, and overall sentiment is at its most positive level in a decade. The report sets out where the gap is widest, what is closing it, and where the next decade of customer experience is heading.
A Decade of Rising Expectations. Across ten years of tracking, just 31 percent of Australians on average have rated companies as placing high importance on customer experience. In 2025 that figure has lifted to 35 percent, the strongest sustained result since the pandemic-era spike. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) still say companies place only moderate or low importance on it. At the same time, the importance Australians place on the nine factors that define great customer experience has climbed from 53 percent in 2016 to 72 percent in 2025. “Australians have raised the bar consistently for ten years, and this year’s data shows they are continuing to do so,” said Paul Crummy, Executive General Manager at Symbos. “What stands out for me is the consistency of the message. Customers want accurate information, knowledgeable people, and reliable access to human support when it matters. The companies who close the gap are the ones treating customer experience as a long-term commitment.”
Human Capability at the Heart of Customer Experience. Despite a decade of digital transformation, what Australians value most about customer experience has remained consistent. Access to correct information leads at 93 percent, followed by knowledgeable representatives (84 percent), access to human representatives (83 percent), and consistent information across digital and human interactions (81 percent). Access to human representatives recorded the largest year-on-year jump in the entire survey, up eight points from 2024. As automation expands, Australians are placing more weight on accessible human support.
Where Australians Place Their Trust in AI. AI-powered tools are now part of how Australians experience customer service, on certain terms. 24/7 availability is the most-cited benefit of AI chatbots at 74 percent, up eight points from 2024. Reduced wait times (48 percent) and fast answers (42 percent) follow as the next most valued benefits. When it comes to resolving issues independently, just 6 percent of Australians are highly confident that AI tools can deliver an accurate solution without escalating to a human. 62 percent are only moderately confident and 31 percent express low or no confidence. For complex enquiries, 70 percent of Australians still prefer to speak with a human on the phone. Australians value AI for speed and accessibility while continuing to rely on human expertise for resolution.
The Commercial Cost of Customer Experience Failure. The cost of poor customer experience is concrete. 74 percent of Australians stopped purchasing from a company after a bad experience in the past year. The reasons centre on capability and resolution, with half (50 percent) reporting they couldn’t access a knowledgeable representative, 44 percent unable to access correct information, and 43 percent saying their query was unresolved on the first attempt. Positive experiences carry strong commercial weight in the other direction, with 74 percent of Australians saying positive experiences influence overall satisfaction and 71 percent saying they influence whether they keep buying. One finding stands out from this year’s data. Of customers who kept buying despite a bad experience, 47 percent did so because they had limited alternatives, while only 11 percent cited brand loyalty. “When 47 percent of your retained customers stay because they had nowhere else to go, that’s a number worth paying attention to,” said Mr Crummy. “It tells you exactly how much commercial room you have before a competitor gives them somewhere else.”
The 10th State of Customer Experience in Australia Report is available now, with deeper insights into what Australians expect, how industries compare, and where the next decade of customer experience is heading.
About the Survey
Since 2016, the State of Customer Experience in Australia survey has tracked customer experience trends, providing robust insights into the evolution of CX across the Australian market. The 2026 report (10th edition) was conducted by Swinburne University’s CXI Research Group through an online questionnaire completed by 503 Australian consumers between 8 and 15 December 2025, with sampling quotas applied to align the sample with ABS population benchmarks across age, gender and state.
About Symbos
Symbos is an Australian-owned organisation delivering innovative, digitally powered customer experience. It delivers AI-led human experiences through solutions that integrate empathy, technology and a culture committed to trust, innovation and real outcomes.
Symbos has almost 2,000 people across five delivery locations in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the Philippines and South Africa. The organisation supports more than 250 clients, many with relationships spanning more than 25 years, and has been recognised with more than 50 awards for service excellence. Symbos bring deep capability across front and back of house operations.
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