Verizon's report reveals a gap between AI-driven improvements and consumer satisfaction, emphasizing the importance of human connections in customer experience.
Quiver AI Summary
Verizon's CX Annual Insights report highlights a significant gap between the internal benefits of AI for brands and the actual customer experience, revealing that while AI can enhance efficiency, it cannot match the empathy provided by human agents. The report, based on a survey of 5,000 consumers and 500 executives across seven countries, found that 88% of consumers prefer human interactions over AI-driven ones. A major frustration for consumers is the lack of access to human agents during automated interactions, with 47% citing this as their top annoyance. Additionally, while personalization is a key use of AI, 30% of consumers feel it hinders their experience rather than improves it, partly due to data privacy concerns. The report emphasizes the importance of integrating AI to enhance human interactions rather than replace them, showcasing examples like Exelon, which used AI to proactively assist customers. The findings suggest that future success in customer experience will rely on balancing AI efficiencies and human connections while respecting privacy.
Potential Positives
- Highlights Verizon's leadership in understanding consumer preferences for human-centric customer interactions, which positions the company as a forward-thinking leader in enhancing customer experience.
- Demonstrates Verizon's commitment to integrating AI in a way that complements human interaction, aligning with consumer sentiments and addressing core frustrations.
- Informs stakeholders about significant findings from a comprehensive survey, reinforcing Verizon's credibility and expertise in customer experience analytics.
- Showcases successful real-world applications of AI, like Exelon's initiatives, underlining the practical benefits of Verizon's technology and its role in driving positive customer outcomes.
Potential Negatives
- Despite the investment in AI technologies, a significant gap exists between the expected efficiencies and actual consumer experiences, indicating a potential failure in fulfilling customer satisfaction levels.
- A notable 47% of consumers expressed frustration with automated interactions due to the inability to contact human agents, raising concerns about the adequacy of Verizon's AI-driven customer service solutions.
- Only a small percentage of consumers feel that AI personalization has improved their experiences, with more stating it has detracted from their overall satisfaction, highlighting a critical issue in how data privacy laws are limiting effective AI utilization.
FAQ
What are the key findings of Verizon's CX Annual Insights report?
The report reveals a disconnect between AI efficiency and consumer satisfaction with just 60% satisfied with AI interactions vs. 88% with human agents.
What frustrates consumers most about automated customer service?
The biggest frustration is the lack of immediate access to a live agent, with 47% of consumers citing this as their top annoyance.
How does personalization impact customer experience according to the report?
30% of consumers feel personalization has worsened their experience, mainly due to data privacy concerns affecting trust.
What is the future of customer experience as suggested by the report?
The future focuses on using AI to enhance human interactions rather than replace them, emphasizing proactive help and effective aid for agents.
How does Exelon leverage AI to improve customer experience?
Exelon uses AI to proactively identify customers needing assistance and to support agents with data, enhancing service efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$VZ Congressional Stock Trading
Members of Congress have traded $VZ stock 5 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 2 have been purchases and 3 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $VZ stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:
- REPRESENTATIVE TIM MOORE purchased up to $50,000 on 07/29.
- REPRESENTATIVE JEFFERSON SHREVE sold up to $50,000 on 05/12.
- REPRESENTATIVE DAN NEWHOUSE sold up to $15,000 on 04/11.
- REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT BRESNAHAN purchased up to $50,000 on 04/08.
- REPRESENTATIVE JULIE JOHNSON sold up to $15,000 on 04/01.
To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard.
$VZ Insider Trading Activity
$VZ insiders have traded $VZ stock on the open market 8 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 8 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $VZ stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- KYLE MALADY (EVP and Group CEO-VZ Business) has made 0 purchases and 6 sales selling 41,500 shares for an estimated $1,806,728.
- VANDANA VENKATESH (EVP-PubPol&ChiefLegalOfficer) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 10,000 shares for an estimated $437,938.
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.
$VZ Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 1,529 institutional investors add shares of $VZ stock to their portfolio, and 1,437 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- GQG PARTNERS LLC added 37,516,167 shares (+303.9%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $1,701,733,335
- FMR LLC added 14,873,284 shares (+52.2%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $674,652,162
- STATE STREET CORP added 14,052,011 shares (+7.4%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $637,399,218
- MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC removed 6,314,696 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $286,434,610
- GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC added 5,492,416 shares (+21.0%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $249,135,989
- ALYESKA INVESTMENT GROUP, L.P. removed 5,130,632 shares (-57.4%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $232,725,467
- AMUNDI removed 4,690,764 shares (-18.6%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $212,773,055
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
$VZ Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $VZ in the last several months. We have seen 2 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
- Tigress Financial issued a "Buy" rating on 04/28/2025
- Oppenheimer issued a "Outperform" rating on 04/01/2025
To track analyst ratings and price targets for $VZ, check out Quiver Quantitative's $VZ forecast page.
$VZ Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $VZ recently. We have seen 8 analysts offer price targets for $VZ in the last 6 months, with a median target of $49.0.
Here are some recent targets:
- Benjamin Swinburne from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $48.0 on 07/22/2025
- Jonathan Atkin from RBC Capital set a target price of $46.0 on 07/22/2025
- Philip Cusick from JP Morgan set a target price of $49.0 on 07/22/2025
- Michael Funk from B of A Securities set a target price of $49.0 on 07/22/2025
- Eric Luebchow from Wells Fargo set a target price of $43.0 on 07/10/2025
- Ivan Feinseth from Tigress Financial set a target price of $56.0 on 04/28/2025
- Maher Yaghi from Scotiabank set a target price of $49.0 on 04/23/2025
Full Release
NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While brands are celebrating AI-driven efficiency gains in customer experience (CX), a significant gap exists between their internal benefits and the often underwhelming service that consumers are actually experiencing. According to Verizon’s CX Annual Insights report, the future of CX isn't just about implementing AI, but about strategically integrating it to amplify human connections and address core customer frustrations.
The report, based on a survey of 5,000 consumers and 500 senior executives across seven countries, reveals a critical disconnect:
- Human Touch Still Reigns Supreme: A striking 88% of consumers are satisfied with interactions handled mostly or fully by human agents, while only 60% feel the same about interactions driven by AI. This preference highlights a fundamental truth: AI's efficiency cannot replace the empathy and trust that a human provides.
- The Biggest Frustration: The Human Hand-Off: The single biggest source of consumer frustration with automated interactions is the inability to speak or chat with a live human agent when needed. Nearly half of all consumers ( 47% ) cited this as their top annoyance. Brands themselves recognize this, with a similar percentage of executives reporting this as the main complaint they receive about AI-enabled interactions.
-
The Personalization Paradox:
Despite personalization being a top AI use case for brands, most consumers aren't seeing the benefits. In fact, more consumers said personalization has detracted from their overall experience (
30%
) than improved it (
26%
). A significant factor is data privacy, with
65%
of executives stating that data privacy rules limit their ability to use AI for personalization. This is a critical issue as
54%
of consumers report a decline in their trust in companies to use their personal data properly.
"The future of CX isn't about AI replacing humans; it's about using AI to make human interactions better," says Daniel Lawson, SVP, Global Solutions at Verizon Business. "Businesses that use AI to preempt customer needs, empower their employees, and enhance personalization while respecting privacy will be the market leaders of tomorrow."
Bridging the Gap: Real-World Examples of AI That Works
AI is being successfully leveraged by companies to enhance team capabilities and improve customer experience, rather than to replace human input.
- The Power of Proactive Help: As outlined in the Insights Report, energy utility company Exelon is a prime example. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the company used AI and predictive analytics to identify middle-income households that might have trouble paying their energy bills. This enabled them to proactively reach out with personalized recommendations for assistance programs, earning customer appreciation and proving that AI can solve real-world problems with a human-centric approach.
- AI as an Agent's Assistant: Instead of being used to replace human agents, AI is being used to make them more effective. Exelon is piloting generative AI to help its customer service representatives handle calls more efficiently by providing the right data at the right time and summarizing calls, which eases the agent’s burden. This aligns with the report's finding that companies are now equally prioritizing investments in both human and AI-driven CX improvements.
About the Report:
Now in its 5th year, Verizon’s CX Annual Insights report was conducted by Longitude, a Financial Times company. It is based on a survey of 5,000 consumers and 500 senior business executives across the US, Australia, Japan, UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The surveys were carried out in October and November 2024.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of $134.8 billion in 2024. Verizon’s world-class team never stops innovating to meet customers where they are today and equip them for the needs of tomorrow. For more, visit verizon.com or find a retail location at verizon.com/stores.
VERIZON’S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at verizon.com/news . News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/ .
Media contact:
Carlos Arcila
[email protected]
908-202-0479
