5 Customer Experience Trends Separating Leaders from Laggards in Europe

Customer experience (CX) is evolving rapidly, and businesses that fail to keep up risk losing customers to more innovative competitors. In a recent study, Metrigy and Webex surveyed hundreds of CX professionals in Europe and found a widening customer satisfaction gap between CX leaders — who embrace AI and digital transformation — and CX laggards, who are falling behind.

Here are five key trends from the survey that separate European CX leaders from laggards and define the future of customer experience:

1. AI is No Longer Optional—It’s Essential

Nearly 100% of CX leaders integrate AI into their contact center strategies, while only 9% of laggards do the same. AI-powered assistants, AI virtual agents, and intelligent automation are revolutionizing how businesses handle customer interactions, offering faster resolutions and better personalization.

Takeaway: Companies that fail to adopt AI risk falling behind as personalized automation and digital-first customer engagement become the new standard.

2. Cloud Adoption Drives Agility and Scalability

The survey showed that CX leaders are 30% more likely to have adopted cloud contact centers than laggards. Cloud technology enables businesses to scale efficiently, integrate AI tools, and provide seamless omnichannel experiences. In contrast, only 53% of laggards have transitioned to the cloud, limiting their ability to innovate.

Takeaway: Cloud-based solutions are the backbone of modern CX, offering flexibility, cost savings, and faster deployment of new technologies.

3. Self-Service is a Game Changer

Customers increasingly prefer self-service options, and 94% of leaders say these tools improve customer satisfaction. Additionally, 81% of leaders use self-service to reduce churn, compared to only 33% of laggards. AI-powered self-service tools, such as AI Agents, can provide instant, effective support to empower customers while reducing agent workloads.

Takeaway: Investing in AI-powered self-service isn’t just a convenience—it’s a necessity for improving CX and reducing churn.

4. The Digital Engagement Gap is Growing

CX leaders prioritize digital-first engagement, with 81% using CPaaS to enhance customer interactions, compared to only 22% of laggards. Leaders also leverage AI for proactive customer outreach (58%), while only 2% of laggards do the same. This disparity highlights how technology is reshaping the customer journey.

Takeaway: Businesses that embrace digital-first strategies—integrating AI, CPaaS, and omnichannel communication—will be positioned to deliver superior customer experiences.

5. AI-Powered Operations Improve Efficiency & Retention

AI isn’t just enhancing customer interactions—it’s also improving internal efficiency. CX leaders using AI have 30% lower customer hold times and lower agent turnover rates (10% vs. 15%) compared to laggards. AI-powered tools assist agents in real time, automate repetitive tasks, and improve the ability to support the customer.

Takeaway: AI-driven operations reduce costs, improve agent performance, and create a better overall customer experience.

How to Stay Ahead

To remain competitive, businesses must close the customer satisfaction gap by embracing AI, cloud technology, and digital engagement strategies. CX leaders are already setting new standards—laggards that fail to evolve risk losing customers to more innovative competitors.

To read more about the survey and trends, download the eBook here.  

And join us on February 13^th for a deep dive into the Global CX Research with Metrigy. Register today!