Customers often repeat information, get transferred, or wait without knowing what is happening because the barriers to good service are connected: systems fail to share context, teams lack clear ownership, and processes make resolution harder than it needs to be. These five recurring barriers are a useful way to diagnose the problem, not a universal ranking. Survey findings cited below come from different populations and should not be read as one global estimate.
1. Fragmented systems and customer data
When support teams work across disconnected tools, each system may hold only part of a customer’s history. An agent may not see an earlier conversation, an order detail, or a previous troubleshooting step. The customer then has to supply the missing context, and the employee may spend time searching instead of resolving the issue.
In its 2026 report, ServiceNow describes representatives navigating multiple systems and identifies fragmented systems, disconnected data, and siloed workflows as constraints. The report says Indian consumers surveyed lost an average of 10.8 hours annually trying to resolve service-related issues. That figure is specific to the report’s India survey; it is not an estimate for consumers everywhere. ServiceNow’s 2026 report
In a separate 2025 report, 84% of surveyed CX leaders said their organizations did not offer multiple channels with completely integrated technology and seamlessly connected data, according to Genesys. This describes those surveyed leaders, not all service organizations. Genesys’s 2025 report
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Connecting systems can help staff carry context forward, but integration alone does not guarantee accurate records or a useful process. Organizations still need to decide which information is reliable, who maintains it, and what an employee should do when records conflict.
2. Siloed teams and unclear ownership
A customer’s issue rarely follows an organization chart. A billing question may involve an account team, a technical problem may need a specialist, and a delayed order may cross customer service and fulfillment. If no one owns the end-to-end outcome, the customer can be passed between departments without knowing who is responsible for the next step.
ServiceNow’s 2026 report says 45% of surveyed Indian customers reported being transferred between multiple people or departments. In Genesys’s separate 2025 CX-leader survey, 33% identified siloed departments with separate customer engagement solutions as a challenge. The populations and surveys differ, so the numbers are not directly comparable. ServiceNow Genesys
Shared customer records may make collaboration easier. Salesforce describes shared CRM use among high-performing organizations in its State of Service material, but an association does not prove that a shared platform by itself causes stronger service outcomes. Salesforce State of Service
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3. Unnecessary customer effort, delays, and weak updates
Customers experience service quality through the work they must do: explaining the problem again, trying self-service that does not help, switching channels, or chasing an update. A fast first reply is not the same as a fast resolution, and neither is useful if the customer is left uncertain about what happens next.
Verizon’s customer-experience white paper discusses long waits, repeated information, and ineffective self-service as service pain points. The available page does not establish a publication date for the material, so no year is assigned here. Verizon’s white paper
McKinsey’s journey analysis makes a related point: speed alone is not enough. Customers may accept a longer wait when they receive updates and understand why resolution takes time. That is a journey-design observation, not a current prevalence statistic. McKinsey’s journey analysis
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- Tell customers what is known, what is still being checked, and when they can expect the next update.
- Make self-service useful for common tasks, while keeping a clear route to a person when the automated path does not resolve the issue.
- Measure whether customers reach resolution without avoidable repetition or transfers, rather than treating response speed as the only service outcome.
4. Interactions without enough context or empathy
An interaction can feel impersonal when the employee does not know what the customer has already tried, what the customer is trying to accomplish, or why the issue matters. Context helps a representative respond appropriately; empathy also requires listening, judgment, and clear communication. Software can surface prior interactions, but it cannot substitute for those human responsibilities.
In ServiceNow’s 2026 India survey, 48% of respondents said service interactions lacked empathy, often because of limited customer context or understanding. The finding is about that survey population, not a universal rate. ServiceNow’s 2026 report
Lance Koenders, Vice President of Experience Products at Verizon, put the continuity problem plainly: “Customers don’t want to have to repeat themselves,” Verizon’s white paper. When a customer switches channels, recognition depends on whether the next employee can see relevant prior interactions and whether the organization has made that information usable.
5. Expectations rising faster than consistent delivery
Customers increasingly expect to move between channels without starting over, while organizations may still operate separate tools, teams, and workflows for each channel. The gap is not simply a matter of adding more ways to contact support: a new channel that cannot carry conversation history can add friction rather than remove it.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsGenesys’s 2025 report says 97% of surveyed consumers considered it important to move between channels without repeating information. In the same report, 41% of surveyed CX leaders said keeping pace with rising customer expectations was their biggest challenge. These are findings from separate respondent groups in that report, not a universal measure of consumers or leaders. Genesys’s 2025 report
Expectations also include access to a person when automation is involved. Gartner’s 2026 release reports that 87% of surveyed customers said companies using generative AI for customer service must provide access to a human agent. This is a survey finding about respondents’ stated expectations, not proof that every customer prefers the same service path. Gartner’s 2026 release
Why these barriers reinforce one another
The five barriers are easiest to understand as a chain rather than as separate defects. Disconnected systems hide customer history. Hidden history makes handoffs less effective. Unclear ownership increases transfers and delays. Repetition and weak updates increase effort, while interactions without context can feel indifferent. Meanwhile, customers expect channel changes and automation to preserve continuity.
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ServiceNow’s 2026 report says more than 4 in 10 consumers may be lost to a business after a single poor experience; that wording and scope belong to its report and should not be treated as a general churn law. Sumeet Mathur, ServiceNow India’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director, described the India situation this way: “Customer experience in India is at an inflection point. Enterprises have invested in AI, but the underlying infrastructure, a chaos of fragmented systems, disconnected data and siloed workflows, is holding them back,” ServiceNow’s report. His statement is an executive’s characterization specific to India, rather than an independent causal finding.
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Map the customer journey before buying another tool
Trace a few common service journeys from first contact through resolution. Record where customers repeat details, change channels, wait without updates, or encounter unclear ownership. This makes it possible to distinguish a software gap from a process or staffing gap.
Connect the context employees need
Prioritize the records that help an employee take the next useful action: prior interactions, relevant account or order details, troubleshooting already completed, and the current status of the request. Connection is valuable only when the data is accurate, accessible to the right people, and presented in a way that supports work.
Make ownership and escalation explicit
Define which team owns the issue at each stage, what information accompanies a transfer, and who follows up if a specialist or another department must act. A handoff should move responsibility as well as information.
Design automation with a human route
Use self-service and AI for tasks they can handle reliably, and make escalation available when the request is complex, unresolved, or requires judgment. Gartner’s 2026 finding on human access underscores why an automated front door should not become a dead end. Gartner
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Track customer effort and resolution, not just activity
Pair operational measures such as time to resolution and transfer frequency with feedback about whether customers had to repeat information and whether updates were clear. A channel’s response time can look good while the overall journey remains difficult.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to tell which barrier is most urgent
| What customers or staff experience | Likely barrier to investigate | Useful first question |
|---|---|---|
| Customers repeat details after switching channels | Fragmented systems and data | Can the next employee see the relevant conversation and account history? |
| Requests are transferred without a clear next step | Siloed teams or unclear ownership | Who remains accountable until the issue is resolved? |
| Customers chase updates or try the same failed route repeatedly | Effort, delay, or weak communication | Does the customer know what is happening and when they will hear back? |
| Employees have records but still cannot respond appropriately | Insufficient context, poor data quality, or limited human judgment | Is the information relevant, trustworthy, and usable in the interaction? |
| New channels or automation create more discontinuity | Expectations outpacing consistent delivery | Can a customer move to a person or another channel without losing context? |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common barrier to a better customer experience?
There is no established universal ranking of these five barriers. The evidence points to recurring and overlapping problems, while the cited surveys cover different populations and locations.
Does buying a CRM or AI tool fix customer experience problems?
No single purchase resolves unclear ownership, weak processes, staffing constraints, or inaccurate data by itself. Tools can help connect records and channels, but organizations still need defined handoffs, usable information, and a route to human support when automation cannot resolve a request.
Why do customers have to repeat themselves?
Common causes include customer history stored in disconnected systems, separate channel workflows, and handoffs that do not transfer relevant information. A connected view of prior interactions can reduce repetition when the information is accurate and available to the next employee.
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Is faster customer service always better?
Not by itself. McKinsey’s journey analysis argues that updates and an explanation of delays can matter alongside speed; a quick response does not compensate for an unresolved issue or an unclear next step.
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