Deloitte Digital's 2026 Global Contact Center Survey covers 720 B2C service leaders and 3,000 consumers, with a subset of 160 leaders classed as 'AI-centric'. It is a vendor-sponsored survey, not peer-reviewed research.
Findings as stated
- 35% of respondents currently use agentic AI, 6% plan to adopt in 2026, 45% plan to adopt in the future, and 13% have no plans.
- AI-centric organizations report 85% greater contact-centre profitability than low-maturity peers, and are 76% more likely to report lower cost per contact.
- Leaders expect AI to reduce their cost base by 28% over three years.
- Adoption of cloud contact-centre platforms rose from 11% to 32% between 2024 and 2026.
How to use it
The adoption figures are useful benchmarks for where peers stand. The profitability gap compares self-selected groups, and it doesn't prove that AI caused the difference. Use it to frame a question, then test it on your own cost per contact.
Surveys of leaders reflect expectations as well as results. Build your case on your own measured baseline.