Gartner report reveals low customer chatbot adoption and usage

A Gartner survey of 3,566 B2B and B2C customers reveals a significant gap between consumer openness to chatbots and actual usage. While 49 percent of customers expressed willingness to use a chatbot if offered, only 7 percent actually utilized one during their last interaction.

The study highlights the high stakes of user experience: only 27 percent of customers are willing to reuse a chatbot following a negative experience. This suggests that the quality of the initial interaction is critical for long-term adoption.

Furthermore, consumers are approximately three times more likely to use third-party generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Claude, than the proprietary chatbots provided by companies. The findings indicate that 87 percent of respondents consider easy access to a human advisor essential, even when using chat interfaces.