CX in 2026: Why Context Is the New Competitive Edge

Every year, Zendesk releases its CX Trends report and every year I tell myself I know what to expect. Then I open it, start reading, and quickly realize the landscape has shifted again. This year is different in all the right ways. Customer experience is moving out of its traditional support lane and into something far more strategic. We have officially entered the era of contextual intelligence.

The report outlines a future where AI does a lot more than answer questions. It connects the dots. It remembers. It reasons. And it brings every interaction, no matter where it happened, into a larger, more cohesive story.

Rather than give away the entire report here, I want to call out a few themes that stood out to me and why I think they matter. The full version is worth reading for the deeper data, examples, and benchmarks.

1. Memory-Rich AI Is Becoming a Baseline Expectation

Repeating information has always been one of the most frustrating parts of customer support. Customers are now choosing brands that can remember them, understand their history, and maintain context across channels without starting over.

AI with persistent memory is changing the tone of service from transactional to relationship driven. Teams that adopt this approach are seeing noticeable gains in loyalty and satisfaction.

If your organization has ever wished for a way to maintain continuity across conversations, this section of the report is worth exploring.

2. Instant Response Is Not Enough Without Instant Resolution

AI has raised the bar for what speed should look like. Customers expect immediate responses, but more importantly, they expect immediate solutions. A quick reply that does not fix the issue no longer counts as a success.

The report also highlights a trend that many leaders underestimate. One unresolved issue can have a larger impact on loyalty than most teams assume.

This is one of those trends that forces you to reevaluate which KPIs truly matter.

3. Multimodal Support Is Becoming the Way Customers Naturally Communicate

Omnichannel support gave customers a choice in where to reach you. Multimodal support takes the next step by allowing them to blend voice, images, video, screenshots, and text in a single, continuous flow. No restarting. No channel hopping.

Customers already communicate this way every day with friends and colleagues. They now expect brands to allow the same flexibility.

If your support model still treats each medium separately, this trend will be important.

4. Analytics Are Becoming Searchable in Plain Language

One of the most compelling parts of the report is the rise of prompt driven analytics. It describes a future where anyone on the team can ask questions in natural language and receive clear answers within seconds.

Questions like:

• What is slowing us down this week?
• Which workflows are creating unnecessary volume?
• Where are refunds being delayed?

This shift will change how teams move, how leaders plan, and how quickly organizations can respond to emerging issues.

5. Transparency Around AI Decisions Is Now Expected

As AI takes on more responsibility, customers want clear explanations for how certain decisions were made. This applies most strongly to refunds, pricing, verification, and security related outcomes.

The report makes it clear that transparency is becoming a differentiator. Customers are more satisfied when they understand the reasoning, even if the decision is not the one they hoped for.

This is a trend that rewards teams who move early.

Why This Report Matters

What makes this year’s trends particularly interesting is how they connect. Memory-rich AI strengthens multimodal experiences. Multimodal communication feeds higher quality data. Better data enables real time analytics. Analytics highlight where transparency matters most.

Customer experience is evolving into a system that becomes stronger as more context is added.

If you are shaping strategy, leading a team, or preparing for shifting customer expectations in the year ahead, this report provides a clear view of what is coming.

Download the Full Report or Talk Through It With 729 Solutions

The highlights above only scratch the surface. The full report includes detailed examples, benchmarks, industry comparisons, and insights that are worth the read.

Download it here:
https://cxtrends.zendesk.com/

If you would prefer a conversation tailored to your industry or your team, I am happy to walk through the trends and help translate them into practical next steps.  Feel free to reach out!