Build trust through transparency, not technology: How to optimize CX in 2026

Originally published in hrnews

Ahead of the new year, Designit’s Chief Design Officer for Europe & APMEA Niklas Mortensen breaks down the key factors businesses need to consider in order to deliver memorable and satisfying customer experiences in 2026.

Build Trust Through Transparency, Not Technology

Stop adding personalization features and start demonstrating transparent data practices.

A minority of consumers trust organizations to use AI responsibly, according to Qualtrics’ 2026 Consumer Experience Trends Report. Paired with research showing that almost half of personalized communications fail, is perceived as irrelevant or intrusive, companies need to take a hard look at their data collection practices. Forrester also predicts that AI-driven privacy breaches will lead to a surge in class-action lawsuits in 2026, so there is that as well…

Personalization has become simultaneously essential and broken—which should force a fundamental reconsideration of individualized experiences.”

Simplify experiences before adding features

“Overwhelm” is becoming a measurable business risk shaping how customers interact and brands compete.

Organizations have raced to deploy AI, personalization engines, omnichannel touchpoints, and real-time notifications simultaneously, creating decision paralysis.

As the hype cycle hits reality, companies should conduct a “complexity audit” of their customer journeys. Every new feature should remove two existing friction points. The winners will be those who help customers cut through noise, not those who add to it.

Silent quitting is now also a consumer trend

Qualtrics research reveals that 38% of Gen Z and millennials will give up entirely on a customer service issue if self-service fails, versus only 11% of baby boomers. Consumers are not spending less, they are reallocating with ruthless efficiency.

Gen Z will abandon your brand without ever complaining. Younger consumers don’t complain; they leave. Your satisfaction surveys are measuring ghosts. The generational shift toward “silent churn” will blindside organizations still relying on feedback mechanisms. This leads to organizations losing visibility into deteriorating experiences precisely when they need it most.

Are you using AI and technology to solve customer problems, or to solve your own cost problems?

The evidence is clear: organizations deploying AI for customer service are seeing failure rates 4x higher than other AI applications. CX scores are hitting all-time lows despite rising investment. Qualtrics data shows that 53% of bad experiences now result in customers cutting their spend.

Yet when organizations focus on solving actual customer problems rather than cutting costs, the results are powerful.

Fixing bad experiences matters more than perfecting good ones.

Start Building for the Actual 2026 Customer

The 2026 customer is Gen Z-influenced (even if they’re not Gen Z themselves): they expect tailored convenience, they’ll abandon bad experiences without explanation, they demand privacy transparency, they’re overwhelmed by digital noise, and they’ll switch brands ruthlessly based on single interactions.

The organizations that thrive will be those recognizing this moment for what it is: not temporary disruption, but a permanent reordering of how customer experience creates and captures value. Companies that treat design as a strategic operating system, with guardrails, not handcuffs, will capture value others miss.