Customer service in the UK has a problem. According to recent survey data, almost half of UK customers have experienced poor customer service over the past year. That’s not a minor data point, but rather a warning sign. Long wait times, unhelpful responses, and automated loops that dead-end are just the beginning, and they erode customer trust quickly.
While many businesses have invested heavily in digital tools and AI to help address these problems, that comes with its own drawbacks. Many customers feel that the human element of customer service has slipped away, and that’s not a good thing. Fixing this situation isn’t about rolling back technology, however, but rather implementing it with thought and care.
The (absolute) state of customer service in the UK
Research from Trustpilot paints a rather grim picture of UK customer service in 2026. Almost half of UK customers report poor customer service experiences in the last 12 months, and the situation is getting worse rather than better.
Going hand-in-hand with this reality is a shift in customer expectations. Modern customers expect more, and they expect it faster, and done right the first time. And while they’re not rejecting technology outright, they are pushing back against impersonal, ineffective, or sloppy AI support models that do more harm than good. For many, automation isn’t a convenience, it’s yet another obstacle to overcome.
The takeaway from this? Speed matters, certainly, but so does quality, and “quality” often comes down to how well UK companies can balance technology with the human touch.
What frustrates UK customers
So what are the major pain points driving the dissatisfaction in customer service?
At the top of the list are slow response times, especially when customers are dealing with automated systems or asked to repeat information they’ve already given. Unhelpful or undertrained agents can add to this frustration.
An over-reliance on automation is another common complaint. Many customers have said they’ve come to avoid contacting companies altogether because they expect chatbots, scripts, or dead ends instead of help or useful information. That’s a recipe for losing customers.
How to fix it
Improving customer service has no single magic bullet to solve everything, but calls for a more holistic solution across teams, platforms, and processes. Here are some common and proven strategies:
Don’t neglect the human touch
Automation is great, but data shows customers still want human interaction, especially when issues are complex or emotionally charged. Human agents are better at handling nuance and sophistication, especially in situations where empathy is called for.
This doesn’t mean abandoning automation, however — AI, chatbots and other digital tools are great at handling simpler, more routine interactions and repetitive tasks. The best approach is a hybrid one; leave the simple stuff for automation, while the humans handle the more complex situations.
Build stronger support with better tools
Good customer service interactions call for quality tools. Slapping together a chatbot or an incomplete knowledge base is a great way to frustrate your customers. Self-service is more important than ever, but it has to be easy and intuitive to use.
This is where good client portal software can make all the difference. A quality customer portal can centralise your knowledge base, support tickets, account information, and messaging in one place, keeping support requests from getting lost and preserving that all-important human touch.
Train and support your teams
Self-service and automation, as we’ve seen, are terrific resources, but they can only do so much if your frontline teams aren’t well-supported. Your human agents should be conversant in empathy, clear communication, and problem-solving, especially when it comes to the more complex services or products you provide. Ongoing training can help make sure your agents stay confident and capable as their tools grow and change.
It’s also important to make sure your teams are properly empowered to handle issues without the need to constantly escalate. Not only does this reduce stress and frustration for customers, but reduced burnout and disillusionment among employees. .
Measure and analyse
It’s one of the constants of business that you can’t meaningfully improve without some sort of measurement. This is another reason to have robust client portal software: metrics. Being able to measure things like customer satisfaction score (CSAT), customer effort score, and other metrics will show you exactly where your service is working — and where it’s failing.
Equally as important is “closing the loop;” that is, actively gathering feedback, reviewing it, and communicating changes back to customers to help retain (or rebuild) their trust. Continuous improvement is a crucial part of maintaining your credibility.
UK customers don’t expect perfection (well, most of them anyway). They want service that respects their time and addresses their concerns. By striking a balance of human-centered support, quality self-service, and well-implemented digital tools, you can give it to them.
