How are customer expectations evolving when people are talking less, trusting less, and switching brands faster than ever?
In this episode, we break down the four major shifts reshaping customer experience in 2026 and why traditional listening tactics are failing right when companies need them most.
Our guest is Isabelle Zdatny, Head of Thought Leadership at the Qualtrics XM Institute and co-creator of one of the largest global CX studies in the world. With data from 20,000 consumers across 14 countries, Isabelle reveals the surprising trends leaders cannot afford to overlook and why trust has become the real driver of customer behavior.
You will learn:
Why customer satisfaction is rising even as feedback collapses
Why AI powered customer service is the lowest rated AI use case today
How conversational surveys uncover issues traditional surveys never capture
Why value brings customers in but service quality keeps them loyal
What customers actually want from personalization and why most do not trust it
What CX leaders must understand to rebuild trust in the year ahead
If you lead customer experience, insights, digital transformation, or AI adoption, this conversation will reshape how you think about listening to customers and earning loyalty in 2026.
Chapters/Key Moments
00:00 – When AI Becomes the First Impression for Customers
03:12 – The Signals Customers Are Reacting To (Even If They Don’t Say It)
06:24 – Why Customer Expectations Keep Rising Every Year
09:36 – The Gap Between Better Metrics and Worse Experiences
12:48 – Where Trust Starts to Erode in AI-Driven Interactions
16:00 – When Efficiency Helps the Business but Hurts the Customer
19:12 – How Loyalty Becomes Purely Transactional
22:24 – Why Customers Are Choosing Silence Over Feedback
25:36 – What Customer Silence Is Really Telling Brands
28:48 – The Limits of Surveys and Traditional Listening
32:00 – How Some Companies Are Rebuilding Empathy at Scale
35:12 – When Technology Improves Experience and When It Gets in the Way
38:24 – Rethinking Customer Experience From a Blank Slate
41:36 – What Customers Will Expect From Brands Next
44:48 – The Future of Trust, Transparency, and Customer Experience