Infographic: Voice of the Contact Centre Consumer 2026

The 2026 edition of our Voice of the Contact Centre Consumer research reveals a number of vital trends in UK customer contact. 

The research finds that 31% of UK consumers now feel customer service has improved over the past 12 months, while just 26% feel it has worsened. That’s a reversal of the position in 2024, when the net sentiment was ten percentage points negative.

Despite the positive trending, the research also finds that improvement in sentiment is not shared equally across the population. Vulnerable consumers – those who are financially vulnerable, health vulnerable, carrying caring responsibilities, or navigating significant life events – continue to experience customer contact differently, and often with greater difficulty, than the wider population.

Financially vulnerable consumers are significantly less likely than non-vulnerable consumers to report that customer service has improved (21% vs 32%), and more likely to say it has worsened (31% vs 25%).

63% of those with carer responsibilities and 54% of the financially vulnerable feel their personal circumstances make them more likely to be treated unfairly by organisations.

The digital divide is just as pronounced, with 80% of those with carer needs and 76% of the health vulnerable report having avoided online customer service channels because they found them difficult to use.

And while overall self-serve failure rates are beginning to improve, vulnerable consumers continue to fail at higher rates than their non-vulnerable counterparts – meaning the gains in digital experience have not yet translated equally across the population.

An infographic visualising the key findings from the Voice of the Contact Centre Consumer 2026 report can be viewed here:

CCMA Research Voice of the Contact Centre Consumer 2026 INFOGRAPHIC

The full Voice of the Contact Centre Consumer 2026 report is available now. Download it here to read the research in detail.

Chris Ward, Head of Content, CCMA

As content and communications manager, Chris works closely with the CCMA team and the contact centre community to ensure members receive the most relevant, timely and engaging content about their industry. Prior to working with the CCMA, Chris was a seasoned business journalist – this included nine years writing about trends in the CX and contact centre space for former industry publication, MyCustomer.