Empathy, transparency and quality

Customer contact has always been about understanding. Customers don’t reach out only because they’re looking for an answer, but because they want reassurance. They want to feel heard and know their situation is taken seriously. AI may seem increasingly capable of delivering that, as it mimics natural language more convincingly. But empathy isn’t the same as friendly phrasing. It’s about sensing context, recognizing emotion, and choosing the right response at the right moment.

That’s exactly why organizations aren’t trying to automate empathy away, but to strengthen it. In the Netherlands, there is relatively strong investment in empathy as part of AI-supported customer interactions. That’s no coincidence: the more digital customer contact becomes, the more valuable the human moment is.

Transparency sounds simple, but in 2026 it’s one of the most underestimated success factors in customer contact. Customers want to know what they can expect. Are they speaking to a bot or a person? Is their question being stored? Why are they getting this answer? And what happens when the system isn’t sure?

Organizations that make this clear build trust. Not by overexplaining everything, but by being honest about what AI does and doesn’t do. Transparency prevents frustration and gives customers a sense of control. That’s essential, because the moment customers feel “stuck” in an automated process, the experience drops fast. Even if the answer is technically correct.

For a long time, quality in customer contact was measured by speed and resolution rates. And yes, that still matters. But in 2026, the definition of quality is shifting. More and more, it’s not just about “was it resolved?” but “how did this interaction feel?”

A fast resolution that comes across as cold or unclear can still lead to repeat contact, escalations, or reputational damage. So quality isn’t only an outcome, it’s also an experience. That makes it a strategic theme: organizations need to ensure AI works, but also that customer contact still feels human when it matters most.

AI is a powerful tool in customer support. It can absorb volume, automate simple questions, and help employees with suggestions, summaries, and next-best actions. But AI can also create distance when it’s used the wrong way. Not because the technology is bad, but because the experience becomes too mechanical.

The real challenge isn’t: “how much can we automate?” but: “where should we automate, and where should we not?” That choice is where maturity shows. CX leaders who choose simplicity understand that technology only adds value when it makes the process easier for both the customer and the employee.

Empathy and transparency sometimes sound like “soft” themes, but in practice they’re becoming increasingly measurable. Not by reducing empathy to a single score, but by identifying patterns in conversations. Think recurring frustration points, misunderstandings, moments when customers drop off, or situations where a bot keeps asking follow-up questions while the customer actually wants to speak to someone.

Data then doesn’t just help you become faster, it helps you become better. Organizations that do this well use AI not only to respond, but also to learn. Where does it break down? Where do negative emotions arise? Which answers work, and which ones actually drive more contact?

We’re moving toward a hybrid model in which AI can do more and more, while human contact becomes more valuable. The winners in 2026 won’t necessarily be the organizations with the most tools, but the ones that use technology with clear principles. Empathy where it’s needed, transparency when it gets sensitive and quality as the constant foundation.

That CX triangle is the future of customer contact. Not as marketing talk, but as practical reality. Because customers are perfectly fine with AI helping so long as it helps in a way that remains clear, human, and trustworthy.