Customer relations in 2026: the major trends that are redrawing the boundaries of the sector
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By 2026, the customer relationship sector is undergoing major transformations that are fundamentally redefining its model and practices. Technological acceleration, evolving customer expectations, and new organizational balances: we are entering a new era where artificial intelligence is becoming an essential driver of the sector, while remaining a tool at the service of the advisor. More than ever, the human element remains the cornerstone of customer relations.
This article, written in collaboration with Philippe Amiel, Director of the recruitment firm Promel and consultant specializing in customer relations, offers an analysis of the major trends that will shape the customer relations industry in the coming years, starting with 2026.
Humans augmented by AI: the new standard
The sterile debate of “AI versus human” is over. 2026 will mark the advent of a true operational symbiosis.
Many companies still fear the consequences of using AI in their organizational strategy. Therefore, it’s important to reiterate that artificial intelligence should not be perceived as a threat to our society and that it will never replace human advisors. Its role is truly to assist humans in their daily tasks.
While some principles are now widely adopted (such as real-time agent support or the automation of post-call tasks), a new stage is emerging: intelligent orchestration. Customer experience management solutions now analyze the reason for contact and the customer’s true intention to direct each interaction to the right person, whether an agent or a chatbot, at the right time.
This approach combines the complete automation of so-called “simple” requests with varying degrees of human intervention depending on the complexity of the situations, thus allowing for optimal distribution of the workload.
Among other things, while artificial intelligence responds to first-level requests (support, after-sales service, automatic classification of information, etc.), human teams, for their part, focus on a more restricted scope where their expertise is indispensable and develop skills on missions with higher added value.
So, what will your agents actually look like in 2026? What will their role be?
Recent studies reveal that artificial intelligence will drive operations and orchestrate flows, while humans will remain the guarantors of relational excellence and customer trust.
When AI becomes the co-pilot of customer relations
Nearly 60 years after the first chatbots appeared, these tools, long confined to very limited text-based interactions, have become essential players in customer service. Alongside voicebots, they constitute a veritable intelligent self-service center, capable of handling a growing share of requests while guaranteeing the quality, consistency, and personalization of responses.
Powered by advanced language models and connected in real time to knowledge bases, CRM systems and other business tools, chatbots and voicebots adapt to the context and ensure a smooth and successful experience.
But the real revelation of AI is its monitoring capability. Every interaction, whether handled by a bot or a human agent, can be continuously analyzed: the content of the conversation, the relevance of the responses, adherence to commitments, and signals of friction or satisfaction. This intelligent monitoring transforms AI into an operational watchdog. As soon as a deviation is detected (risk of dissatisfaction, customer misunderstanding, non-compliant communication, etc.), alerts can be sent to the appropriate personnel (agents, supervisors, quality team, etc.) or trigger an automated process for immediate intervention.
CCaaS and CRM: convergence is accelerating
By 2026, the convergence between contact center platforms (CCaaS) and CRM systems will accelerate significantly. This will no longer be a simple technological convergence, but a profound transformation of how agents are supported and guided in their daily interactions.
CRM systems will now be more closely integrated with CCaaS solutions, enabling optimized use of data from customer records. This information, analyzed in real time by artificial intelligence, will contribute to enriching the quality and relevance of interactions.
AI will play an active role in decision support: analyzing context, understanding customer intent, prioritizing actions, and suggesting responses. These features will support the agent before, during, and after each interaction, providing continuous and contextualized assistance.
In situations of friction with a customer, the agent will no longer be left to their own devices. Artificial intelligence will act as a true operational co-pilot, capable of assessing the situation, formulating appropriate recommendations, and guiding the advisor towards the most relevant solution.
The challenge this year is clear: to manage and enhance human performance through AI, within an augmented Customer Experience Management (CXM) framework.
AI in the service of continuous improvement
Artificial intelligence is now capable of analyzing every interaction to extract insights that can be used across all business functions. Thanks to the comprehensive analysis of data from interactions (voice, text, behavior, etc.), customer relationship platforms now integrate AI-driven insights. Every campaign, every journey, every operation thus becomes a source of continuous learning.
AI easily identifies:
- recurring points of friction in customer journeys;
- scenarios generating the most dissatisfaction or, conversely, conversion;
- performance differences between channels, teams or periods.
Thanks to the compilation of human and AI-driven analyses, business, marketing and operational teams can adjust their campaigns, refine their contact strategies and improve the overall efficiency of operations.
Multi-level validation by AI: ensuring accuracy, quality and compliance
As AI plays an increasingly important role in customer interactions, a new challenge arises: ensuring the reliability of responses and the compliance of exchanges. To address this, some players are deploying “multi-layer AI” validation mechanisms.
This principle relies on several levels of automated control:
- semantic validation of the generated responses (relevance and consistency with the request);
- verification of regulatory and contractual compliance;
- monitoring compliance with messaging and brand guidelines;
- the detection of potential biases, errors or hallucinations in the models.
Every interaction, whether automated or AI-assisted, is thus secured in real time. In case of doubt or non-compliance, the AI can either correct the response or trigger an escalation to a human agent or supervisor. This approach meets the requirements for quality, security, and regulatory compliance.
New customer relationship professions
Operational teams are seeing their skills enhanced by the emergence of hybrid profiles, capable of combining customer relationship expertise, data mastery, and process automation. In a context where artificial intelligence plays an increasingly central role in daily interactions, it is natural to see the emergence of new professions dedicated to managing and overseeing its operational use.
At the crossroads of customer experience, data and AI, these experts analyze interactions with customers, identify automatable processes and collaborate closely with IT teams to optimize and refine operational systems.
Within mid-sized organizations, CCaaS/CRM project managers are gradually integrating artificial intelligence solutions into their responsibilities. They are becoming CX Engineers. As true architects of automated experiences, their mission is to design customer journeys where technology and human intervention are seamlessly integrated, while ensuring consistency and quality of experience at every stage of the journey.
The role of Knowledge Manager is also undergoing a major evolution. Responsible for informational consistency, they ensure the harmonization of knowledge repositories used by both artificial intelligence and human advisors. They structure information, verify the relevance of automatically generated responses, and guarantee the uniformity of knowledge within this hybrid ecosystem.
Finally, sales professionals must also adapt and become experts in digital transformation. Long confined to large corporations, these profiles are now developing within BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing). Their responsibilities include analyzing customer needs, identifying the most relevant uses of AI for each organization, building business cases, and supporting companies in managing digital change.
Although still emerging in 2024, these professions are expected to become highly strategic functions by 2026, playing a key role in the successful adoption of artificial intelligence within organizations.
Three weak signals to watch out for
As artificial intelligence becomes more firmly established in customer relationship management systems, new balances are emerging. Beyond the trends widely highlighted in the media, some more subtle insights deserve attention.
When the human becomes the true differentiator
After several years of intensive automation (which is set to continue), consumers are increasingly attentive to the support of a real advisor. Human intervention remains essential, especially where it provides genuine added value. Customers are not questioning the use of AI; they expect it to be used wisely, leaving the matter to human advisors for complex situations, sensitive complaints, or simply when they request it. Human interaction is thus becoming a “premium” service, far more valued than AI, forcing organizations to rethink their customer journeys and the balance between human and machine interaction.
AI-powered multilingualism
The advances in machine translation and multilingual semantic analysis are undeniable; AI is truly a game-changer for international business. What were previously obstacles (costs, organization, recruitment of specialized translators) are now more accessible. Thanks to AI, any company, including SMEs, can now offer a consistent customer experience in multiple languages without having to create numerous local teams. As a result, expansion strategies are implemented more quickly, and companies can access new markets on a global scale.
The vertical integration of customer relationship actors
To differentiate themselves, some service providers are choosing vertical integration. By focusing on very specific areas of activity, they no longer limit themselves to providing standard customer relationship management (CRM) systems, but offer, in addition to their “traditional” services, services directly integrated into the business processes of their clients. It’s no longer just about handling interactions, but about managing key stages of the value chain, with specific management rules, tools, skills, and access levels.
For example, we can mention insurance companies capable of operating agricultural climate-related claims management systems or monitoring contracts for luxury goods and works of art – activities that require both specialized business expertise and specific decision-making processes.
This differentiating approach makes it possible to integrate operational rules and customer journeys that are neither shareable nor transferable to other market players.
Taken together, these weak signals point to a changing customer relationship: less standardized, more refined in its uses and more focused on creating (human) value, both for customers and for companies.
How to prepare for 2026 starting today
The companies that will succeed will not be those that seek automation at all costs, but those that find the right balance between artificial intelligence and relational intelligence. The question is no longer whether to invest in AI, but how to effectively orchestrate the complementarity between technology and human expertise to create a truly distinctive, high-performing, and sustainable customer experience.
This begins with a detailed analysis of customer journeys, to identify the moments when automation provides a real benefit and those where human intervention remains essential.
Preparing for 2026 also means rethinking the roles of advisors, which are evolving towards more expertise, decision-making and resolution, supported by AI tools.
Finally, it is a question of architecture and organization: having platforms capable of orchestrating all channels, intelligently exploiting data, and rapidly evolving journeys according to customer expectations and operational constraints.
In this context, surrounding oneself with partners capable of supporting this transformation becomes a key factor for success. The objective is not to accumulate tools, but to build coherent, measurable, and scalable pathways.
Ready to take on the challenges of 2026 with us? Let’s discuss your project.
Schedule an appointment now with one of our experts to identify together the levers for improving your customer experience and build a roadmap tailored to your challenges.
Article produced in collaboration with Philippe Amiel, CEO and founder of PROMEL cabinet, a recruitment consultancy.
About the author
As Head of Marketing & Communications at Nixxis France, Andrew Verbrugghe combines strategic vision with an insatiable curiosity for digital innovations. Passionate about the evolution of marketing practices, he is particularly interested in the impact of artificial intelligence on customer experience and corporate communications. Through his articles, he analyzes emerging trends and shares expertise honed at the heart of current digital transformations.
About the author
As Head of Marketing & Communications at Nixxis France, Andrew Verbrugghe combines strategic vision with an insatiable curiosity for digital innovations. Passionate about the evolution of marketing practices, he is particularly interested in the impact of artificial intelligence on customer experience and corporate communications. Through his articles, he analyzes emerging trends and shares expertise honed at the heart of current digital transformations.
