Businesses across Australia and New Zealand are embracing agentic AI faster than many of their global counterparts as they seek to improve customer service, according to the latest Genesys Customer Experience (CX) report.
The study found that organizations in the region are placing greater strategic importance on autonomous AI than businesses elsewhere. Around 39% of CX leaders in Australia and New Zealand described deploying agentic AI as a critical business priority, significantly higher than the 22% global average and 21% across the Asia-Pacific region.
AI adoption is already well underway. Nearly half (48%) of organizations surveyed said they currently use agentic AI-powered virtual agents to support customer interactions, signaling a rapid shift toward more autonomous customer engagement.
AI Investment Continues to Grow
The report suggests this momentum is only expected to accelerate.
Nearly 90% of customer experience leaders anticipate that autonomous AI agents will be orchestrating customer journeys within the next three years. Additionally, 85% believe AI investment will play a critical or highly influential role in achieving their long-term customer experience objectives.
Organizations are also backing these ambitions with increased spending. Over the next year, businesses expect approximately 30% of their customer experience budgets to be directed toward AI-enabled CX technologies.
Customer Expectations Are Outpacing Service Delivery
Despite growing investment in AI, customer service challenges remain.
More than 20% of consumers in Australia and New Zealand reported waiting over an hour to speak with a human support representative—well above the 5% global average.
Customers also continue to experience fragmented service journeys. Although 96% of consumers expect organizations to retain their information across communication channels, nearly 39% of businesses still fail to automatically transfer customer context between virtual assistants and human representatives.
As a result, 41% of consumers said they had to repeat information to multiple human agents during the past year, compared with 33% globally. A further 23% reported repeating conversations after being transferred from an AI-powered virtual agent to a human advisor.
Consumers Prioritize Fast Resolution Over Who Provides It
The research indicates that customers are increasingly open to AI-driven support—provided it delivers quick and effective outcomes.
Around 62% of consumers said they are unconcerned whether their issue is resolved by a person or an AI agent, as long as the problem is addressed efficiently. Additionally, 97% believe speed and efficiency are just as important as empathy during customer interactions.
Confidence in AI is also growing. One in three respondents said they would be comfortable allowing AI to make decisions on their behalf if it resulted in faster issue resolution.
However, human support remains essential. 61% of consumers said they would respond negatively if they were unable to reach a human representative after interacting with a chatbot or virtual assistant.
Poor Customer Service Comes at a Cost
The study highlights the commercial risks associated with poor customer experiences.
Approximately 69% of consumers said they would switch to a competing brand after experiencing three or fewer negative interactions, while 19% indicated that a single poor experience would be enough to make them leave.
Additionally, 90% expect every organization to deliver experiences comparable to the best service they have received from any company, and 95% believe customer service defines the overall quality of a brand.
Legacy Systems Continue to Slow AI Transformation
While organizations are increasing AI investments, many continue to face operational challenges.
According to the report, ageing technology infrastructure has become the leading obstacle preventing customer experience leaders from improving service quality. Budget constraints, combined with legacy systems, are also limiting organizations’ ability to scale AI initiatives and deliver seamless omnichannel experiences.
Survey Scope
Genesys conducted the research among 5,811 consumers and 1,560 customer experience and business leaders across more than 20 countries. The Asia-Pacific sample included 1,426 consumers and 508 CX leaders representing industries such as banking, healthcare, retail, telecommunications, manufacturing, travel, government, insurance, and technology.
Commenting on the findings, Mark Buckley, Vice President for Australia and New Zealand at Genesys, said customer expectations are evolving rapidly, creating an opportunity for organizations to rethink how they deliver experiences.
He noted that businesses capable of combining agentic AI, human expertise, customer data, and enterprise systems into a unified customer journey will be better positioned to reduce customer effort, deliver more personalized experiences, and strengthen customer trust and loyalty.
