A new study by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, in collaboration with Infobip, uncovers a significant gap in customer experience (CX) delivery. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of conversational CX, many organizations struggle to implement effective AI-driven solutions, leading to missed opportunities in customer engagement and trust-building.
93% of surveyed leaders see conversational CX as highly important.
Only 36% rate their organization as highly effective in delivering CX.
Just 11% excel at using AI for human-like conversations.
Key barriers include poor platform visibility and AI integration challenges.
50% of companies aim to automate processes to improve CX in the next year.
Infobip drives personalized, scalable AI-powered customer interactions.
The Harvard Business Review Analytic Services study, conducted with Infobip, highlights a stark contrast between ambition and execution in customer experience. While 93% of respondents acknowledge the critical role of positive conversational experiences, only 36% believe their organizations are highly effective at delivering them. Even more concerning, a mere 11% report high effectiveness in using AI to create human-like conversations, revealing a significant AI gap in CX delivery. “While everyone talks CX, almost no one delivers,” said Ben Lewis, VP Marketing and Growth at Infobip. “When brands can’t deliver meaningful, human-like conversations, they don’t just lose efficiency - they lose trust.”
The study identifies several obstacles preventing organizations from achieving seamless CX. Poor visibility across communication platforms affects 48% of respondents, while 46% struggle to capture customer data throughout the customer journey. Additionally, 44% face challenges integrating AI-powered features into their platforms. Nearly half (49%) cite a lack of best practices for using communication platforms, and 48% point to insufficient investment in advanced conversational technology as critical roadblocks.
Despite these challenges, organizations are committed to improving. Over the next 12 months, 50% plan to prioritize process automation, 41% aim to enhance AI use in conversations, and 39% focus on integrating communication platforms. These efforts signal a shift toward more efficient, AI-driven CX strategies that prioritize seamless and intuitive customer interactions.
Infobip is at the forefront of addressing these challenges, offering a cloud communications platform that powers automated, personalized, and human-like customer interactions at scale. “This isn’t about tools - it’s about trust,” said Ben Lewis. “Every message, chatbot and notification should feel like it understands you. That’s what we help brands deliver - across every channel, at any scale.” By leveraging AI, Infobip enables brands to build trust and deliver meaningful conversations across SMS, messaging apps, email, and chatbots.
The findings from the Harvard Business Review Analytic Services study underscore the urgent need for organizations to bridge the AI gap in customer experience. As companies invest in automation and AI integration, solutions like Infobip’s platform are poised to help brands deliver the seamless, human-like conversations that modern customers demand, fostering trust and loyalty in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobip’s omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact center solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty.
TechIntelPro empowers B2B technology decision-makers with the latest industry trends, deep insights, leadership perspectives and actionable intelligence to drive both organizational and professional milestones—and thrive on the tech pulse.