Zendesk CX Trends 2026
What CX teams need to know now
- 5 trends that will redefine CX in 2026
- Focus on contextual intelligence – AI that truly understands
- Multimodal interactions across all channels
- Transparency and governance as key competitive factors
What the CX Trends Report 2026 reveals
Customer service will continue to change rapidly in 2026: AI will become more context-aware, self-service will resolve more queries completely, and transparency will become an established standard of expectation. The CX Trends Report study is based on global surveys of consumers, CX managers and operational teams, and shows how companies can make their service processes more stable, efficient and personalised.
The CX Trends 2026 Report answers key questions about:
- Contextual intelligence and its influence on CX
- Expectations for AI transparency
- The role of multimodality
- The further development of self-service
- New metrics and forms of analytics
It also shows
- how companies are already using these developments,
- what customers will value most in the coming year, and
- which factors have the strongest influence on satisfaction, efficiency and operational stability.
The report thus provides clear guidance for anyone who wants to further develop their customer service in a targeted manner in the coming year.
The five main CX trends for 2026

1. Memory-rich AI
AI retains context across interactions, enabling significantly more personalised, consistent experiences.

2. Autonomous self-service
Self-service is becoming faster, more accurate and resolves more queries completely before they reach support.

3. Multimodal interactions
Text, speech, images and videos seamlessly intertwine – customers intuitively switch between channels.

4. Prompt-driven Analytics
Analyses become more flexible: CX teams ask questions directly via prompt and receive immediately actionable insights.

5. Transparent AI decisions
Consumers expect comprehensible AI logic. Clear governance and transparency strengthen trust.
↓ Download CX Trends 2026 ↓
Customer testimonials
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Philippe Roy Peak Financial Group
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Diana ZimmermannAnnanow Group AG
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Philipp SchumacherIntravis GmbH
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Gerome KörbelYuma GmbH
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Jürgen KönigHäfele SE & Co KG
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Susanne HeizHead of Service at JobCloud AG
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