Consumers say they are open to the use of chatbots in customer service, but only 27% would be willing to try a chatbot again after a negative experience, according to research by Gartner.

 

According to Eric KellerAccording to Keller, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, research by Gartner shows that 49% of customers indicate they are willing to use a chatbot if the company had offered one. However, in practice, only 7% actually use a chatbot or digital assistant during their most recent contact with customer service. Actual adoption therefore remains low. If chatbots previously misunderstood their problem, provided generic information, or made it more difficult to reach a representative, customers are more likely to choose another channel, according to Keller.

Reliability beyond reach

The downside of this is that during their most recent contact with customer service, customers used third-party GenAI tools approximately three times more often than chatbots offered by the company itself. According to Keller, customer service managers should therefore prioritize reliability over reach when it comes to chatbots. They can do this by starting with targeted, thoroughly tested implementations. They must identify the types of problems for which a proven high percentage of successful solutions exists, clearly communicate what the chatbot can do, and only expand the reach after performance has proven reliable.

From other research, by marketing agency FingerspitzIt emerges that Dutch consumers are not particularly positive about chatbots. Representative research conducted by Norstat shows that nearly three-quarters of Dutch consumers strongly reject interaction with AI assistants exclusively. Slightly more than half fully agree with the statement that companies may use AI assistants as their primary tool.

Always easy to reach a live agent

In addition, escalation to a human agent must proceed seamlessly. “The goal should not be to keep every interaction within the chatbot. The goal is to guide every customer to the fastest and most effective path to a solution, whether that path is AI-driven, human-led, or a combination of both,” says Keller, basing his statements on Gartner research among 3.566 B2B and B2C customers conducted in February and March 2026. That research, Four Customer Journey Insights to Optimize Your Channel Strategy, is accessible to Gartner customers.

(Gartner)

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