- Forty-two percent of Brits are more likely to be openly rude to AI chatbots than to real humans
- Over half of UK shoppers say only humans can properly solve their support problems
- Most Brits avoid in-store staff but still pay extra to talk to a human online
The growing reliance on automated customer support has exposed deep public dissatisfaction in the UK.
According to Quantum Metric, 42% of consumers admit to being ruder to AI chatbots than they would be to human staff.
This behavioral shift stems from a rising perception that AI tools, even the best chatbot options available, fail to address customers’ concerns effectively.
Brits lash out at bots as frustrations with AI support grow
The report reveals that over half of British consumers (54%) feel their issues are only truly resolved when speaking with a human.
Despite advances in automation, this sentiment persists alongside a notable contradiction.
Although 77% of shoppers avoid asking for help in-store, 40% are still willing to pay extra just to speak to a human representative instead of relying on AI.
This suggests that while the digital convenience of AI is appealing, trust and resolution still rely on personal interaction.
Such dissonance is damaging more than just public sentiment; it’s affecting commerce.
57% of UK consumers have abandoned a purchase due to poor or unavailable customer assistance.
With mobile apps and websites now serving as digital storefronts and support desks, even the best helpdesk solution needs to account for user frustrations like slow load times and repetitive question loops.
Interestingly, despite the negative tone towards chatbots, customers continue to prefer digital engagement, even when physically present in stores.
Three in four people choose to look up answers on their phones rather than speak to staff.
Yet this digital dependency is not translating to satisfaction.
A key frustration remains the need to repeat issues to multiple agents during support calls, which 39% cited as their biggest annoyance.
This suggests that even when human support is available, internal communication gaps persist.
To tackle these issues, the report recommends a hybrid approach.
Some top brands like United Airlines have begun the integration of AI summarization tools, which help human agents to better understand the customer context.
This not only reduces repeat interactions, it allows faster and more accurate service.
In one case, a call center reduced handling times by 60% after adopting such tools.
In another case, the report revealed that a healthcare provider managed to save over $1 million annually by identifying breakdowns in its self-service options and eliminating them, which also reduced call volume by 5,000 per week.
Ultimately, while AI continues to dominate as the best customer tool for scale and efficiency, its role must be recalibrated.