Survey says: Canadian consumers want AI with EQ

Canadian consumers are sending a clear message: Customer service must evolve, according to the ServiceNow Consumer Voice Report, created in partnership with Opinium.

Fast responses aren’t enough. Today’s service needs to be AI-powered, equipped with emotional intelligence (EQ), and grounded in real-time context.

The good news is that AI is rising to meet this moment. It’s streamlining tasks and unlocking new ways to deliver value, build trust, and enhance the customer journey. Let’s look at the research findings on how Canadians view AI in customer experience and what it will take for businesses to meet their growing standards.

Adaptive, emotionally intelligent AI

Canadians demand more than simple automation. They want intuitive, dynamic service that fits the moment they’re in. In fact, 66% of Canadians expect AI to recognize emotional cues by the end of this year, according to our study.

This is a compelling signal that empathy is fundamental. While digital tools have their place, their capabilities today may not always meet consumer wants and needs. When facing complex or emotional issues, 75% of Canadians prefer to speak with someone over the phone and 74% want in-person support.

This indicates the need for a new kind of intelligence—one that doesn’t just react, but also reasons. That’s the promise of agentic AI: technology that can autonomously interpret nuance, understand context, make informed decisions in the moment, and take educated action.

The importance of trust

This year’s Consumer Voice Report highlights the opportunity to meet Canadians’ rising interest in AI with tools that can deliver a great experience.

Our research found that while 44% of Canadians reported they were open to using AI tools such as chatbots in 2024, only 10% said they trust voice assistants to handle basic support tasks in 2025—a sharp year-over-year drop in confidence. This highlights a clear gap between the promise of AI and how many are experiencing and interacting with it today.

Interestingly, since our 2024 survey, Canadians have begun to describe their interactions with AI as emotionally disconnected. This highlights a critical challenge: As AI adoption grows, so must its ability to earn customer trust.

What sets leading enterprises apart

This trust gap extends beyond automation. It’s also about:

• Respecting emotional nuance in every interaction
• Creating consistent, cross-channel experiences
• Delivering resolution without losing empathy

Our research shows that 60% of Canadians prioritize easy problem resolution and 53% value speed. The takeaway is clear: Organizations that use AI to craft thoughtful, seamless experiences—not just faster ones—will be best positioned to earn trust and stand out in an increasingly competitive market.

When AI moves beyond basic automation, it becomes something more intuitive and adaptive; ideally, it becomes invisible. The most effective AI is the kind users don’t even notice. When implemented well, it works quietly in the background: enabling smooth handoffs, personalizing interactions in real time, and helping customers get what they need quickly and effortlessly, without added friction or confusion.

AI is not about replacing the human touch but enhancing it—so that customers experience smoother, faster outcomes without ever needing to know whether AI is involved.

The promise of AI for CX

Canadian consumers are raising the bar for what good customer service looks and feels like. To meet this new standard, enterprises must design experiences that are not only effortless and intuitive, but also emotionally attuned, even when powered by AI.

This is where agentic AI can play a critical role. Built to manage complexity behind the scenes, it can route issues to the right person, surface relevant content in real time, and adapt to tone, urgency, and emotional cues—all without interrupting the flow of the experience.

For customer experience leaders, this requires a shift in mindset: AI should move from being the center of attention to acting as strategic support. When buoyed with emotional intelligence and used to augment human agents, anticipate needs, and reduce effort, AI becomes a key driver of customer satisfaction, loyalty, and trust.

Gain more insights in our Consumer Voice Report 2025.