Smart Communications, a technology company specializing in customer engagement solutions, has released its 2025 Customer Experience Benchmark research. The global survey of 3,000 consumers indicates a growing readiness for artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance experiences across healthcare, financial services, and insurance, despite ongoing frustrations with inconsistent omnichannel interactions and outdated form processes.
According to Leigh Segall, CEO of Smart Communications, “Customers’ expectations are set by the best brands in retail, technology and eCommerce. When healthcare, banking and insurance organizations fail to meet these expectations, they risk losing customer loyalty and business. That’s why we set out every year to gauge where that bar is set, and light the way for organizations in these industries to exceed their customers’ expectations through frictionless, digital-first experiences.”
Since its inception in 2018, the Customer Experience Benchmark research has tracked consumer attitudes toward communications from these sectors. The 2025 findings show that 62% of consumers rated communications from these organizations as good or excellent, reflecting significant improvements: banking saw a 67% increase in satisfaction rates, insurance 46%, and healthcare 75%. The report also underscores the critical role of customer communications in fostering loyalty, driving referrals, and mitigating churn, with 84% of respondents deeming them important to their overall experience, and 67% indicating they would switch providers due to unsatisfactory communications.
The report highlights a notable shift in consumer attitudes towards AI. Half of all respondents expressed value in AI being used for financial advice (46%), suggesting insurance plan changes (51%), or making health recommendations (54%). Consumer confidence in AI’s data security (32% expressed hesitation) and ethical handling (31% expressed hesitation) has strengthened. Furthermore, the demand for AI use disclaimers has decreased significantly, with only 37% requesting them in 2025, down from 77% in 2024. However, this increased trust does not equate to confidence in generative AI’s content quality; only 13% believe it surpasses humans, and 46% advocate for human review of AI-generated content.
Despite improvements in AI perception, consumer satisfaction with omnichannel experiences remains a challenge, with only 54% reporting satisfaction. A substantial 60% of consumers stated they would trust companies more if consistent omnichannel experiences were offered. The survey also revealed generational preferences: the Silent Generation (ages 79-97) was most likely to prefer email communications (48%), while Generation Z was the least (39%). Print communications were the least preferred method across all demographics, cited by just 12% of respondents.
Data intake processes continue to be a point of friction, with 66% of all consumers—including 73% of Millennials and 71% of Generation Zers—indicating they would abandon an interaction if the process was overly complex. Consumers prioritize speed and simplicity (90%) in form completion. The research suggests a strong preference for guided, digital forms over fillable PDF documents (63% prefer) and a general importance placed on digital data collection over manual processes (77%).
Leigh Segall reiterated the findings: “The data is clear: consumers are ready to see what AI can do. Organizations have an opportunity to use this groundbreaking technology to create outstanding customer experiences that exceed consumer expectations. Our research shows them where to start, by orchestrating smarter omnichannel experiences.”
Smart Communications offers its Conversation Cloud™ platform, designed to enable frictionless, compliant, and digital-first customer experiences through omnichannel communications, intelligent data capture, and secure digital archival. Over 650 enterprises globally, including Zurich Insurance, Priority Health, The Pacific Financial Group, and The Bancorp, utilize the platform. It integrates with major enterprise systems such as Salesforce, Guidewire, DuckCreek, OneSpan, and Pega, facilitating over 60 billion customer conversations annually.
The research was conducted online by Toluna between January 31 and February 24, 2025. The survey encompassed nationally representative audiences in the US, UK, APAC (Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore), and German-speaking markets (Austria, Switzerland, Germany). All respondents were required to be current customers of insurance, financial services, or healthcare providers.
