Qualtrics study reveals just 7% of Aussie execs want to lead in AI use for CX

A new report from Qualtrics has revealed that while Australian executives recognise the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionise customer experience (CX), only a small fraction are willing to lead in its adoption.

The reluctance among senior leaders could see Australian organisations fall behind global peers in capturing a share of what Qualtrics estimates to be a $2 trillion annual opportunity.

The study shows that organisations across industries could collectively generate more than $2 trillion AUD in annual revenue and cost savings by using AI to enhance customer experiences.

Despite this, just 7% of executives in Australia say they aspire to lead the charge on AI, compared to 15% globally.

"Today's market leaders make great customer experience a business priority – and they are being rewarded with loyalty and higher market share," said Brad Anderson, President of Qualtrics.

"The best organisations use AI to effortlessly understand their entire customer experience across every channel – in-store, online, and in the contact centre – and to close the loop with customers to make every connection count."

"These omnichannel capabilities give businesses the insights they need to win today and in the era of agentic AI," he added.

While 76% of Australian executives report having made improving customer experience a higher priority over the past three years, they still lag behind their counterparts in the US (41%), UK (32%), Germany (32%), and Canada (28%) in making it a critical focus.

Executives cited several key factors influencing this shift in priorities, including competitive pressures, economic uncertainty, new technological capabilities, and changes in company strategy – each named by 38% of respondents.

The report indicates that AI will be central to maintaining and accelerating this momentum, with 63% of Australian executives expecting AI to significantly or completely transform the way their organisations approach CX in the next three years.

Additionally, 60% believe it will fundamentally change how their entire industry operates.

Despite these expectations, Australia's approach to AI implementation remains cautious.

While 81% of Australian organisations have at least one AI initiative underway, only 5% have developed an organisation-wide strategy, and just 29% have appointed a designated AI leader. In contrast, companies identified as market leaders are 2.3 times more likely to centralise their AI efforts under a unified strategy.

There are signs, however, that comfort with AI is growing. Key actions being taken include employee training and enablement (38%), experimenting with AI to accelerate task completion (35%), and purchasing AI solutions such as ChatGPT licences (28%).

More than a third (37%) of Australian executives expect to see a return on AI investments within one to two years – slightly below the global average – and 83% anticipate measurable returns within five years.

Executives identified three areas where AI is expected to make the most impact on customer experience: scaling customer understanding and enabling empathy (43%), delivering more personalised experiences (42%), and providing seamless experiences (41%).

Despite the increased experimentation, the data suggests that without a comprehensive and strategic approach, many organisations may struggle to move beyond pilot projects and fail to achieve the full potential of AI.

The findings are based on a global executive survey conducted by the Qualtrics XM Institute in late 2024, involving 1,501 senior executives (VP-level and above) from companies with over 1,000 employees in Australia, the US, UK, Germany, and Canada.