UK 2026 Consumer Survey Summary

TCN’s annual Consumer Survey is back! Every year, it promises to deliver results straight from the minds of today’s consumers that you can use to optimise your customer service, and this year’s results are no different.

Below, you’ll find a summary of this year’s survey results. You’ll discover which channel is the most effective for payment collections, how to handle AI implementation and more. To view the full survey results, check out the executive summary.

Preferred payment contact channels: Email and phone lead; text messages follow

When UK consumers are contacted regarding paying a bill:

• 36.55% of respondents state email is the contact method most likely to lead to them making a payment.
• 25.55% prefer phone calls for bill payments.
• 15.80% say text messages drive payment.
• Standard mail is preferred for bill payments by only 14.15%.

Branded text messages significantly boost response rates

Trust and brand verification are major drivers of consumer engagement:

• 53.8% of respondents are more likely to respond to a text message if it is branded with the company name, logo and verification badge:
  • 24.70% are much more likely to respond.
  • 29.10% are somewhat more likely to respond.
• Only 8.65% feel less likely to respond to branded texts.

Consumers prefer live agents for secure data and sensitive payment issues

When it comes to sharing sensitive credentials or resolving payment issues:

• 52.50% feel more comfortable sharing sensitive information (credit card numbers, account details, etc.) with a live person, compared to only 14.90% who prefer an automated phone system.
• When asked what information should always be delivered by a live person rather than an automated message:
  • Urgent or sensitive information: 42.20%
  • Charges/unexpected fees: 34.40%
  • Payment/order issues: 34.35%
  • Failed or declined payments: 28.85%

AI and chatbot hesitancy in debt and financial interactions

While AI adoption is growing across customer service, debt collection requires careful handling due to low trust in automated financial and data processes:

• 81.20% of respondents prefer interacting with a human agent rather than an AI agent (9.65%).
• Over 54.3% distrust providing personal data to an AI agent (28.20% not at all, 26.10% not very much).
• AI task comfort:
  • UK consumers are most comfortable using AI for routing/directing calls (35.05%) or basic questions and answers (22.05%).
  • Only 10.25% are comfortable with AI collecting payment information.
  • 30.35% state they would not be comfortable with AI accomplishing any task.
• 34.75% immediately attempt to bypass online chatbots to connect with a live human.

Summary and recommendations for UK contact centres

In short, UK collections contact centres should prioritise email and branded text message campaigns as first-touch outreach for bill payments, as they drive high engagement without creating friction. 

Additionally, it is vital for UK call centres to let live agents handle payments and sensitive information and save AI for tasks like call routing. 

TCN is committed to empowering your business to provide the best possible customer experience. For more information about how we can help you apply these results to your operations, reach out to one of our experts today.