Alchemer vs SurveyMonkey

43% of Consumers Would Pay More for Guaranteed Human Support

Alchemer's 2026 AI & Customer Expectations Report, based on a survey of 2,009 U.S. consumers, reveals that AI is raising customer expectations faster than it improves experience. While nearly 60% expect faster responses from AI-using companies, 89% report at least one negative impact, with the top complaint being difficulty reaching a human (44%). Consumers also cite AI misunderstandings and repetitive information as issues, and 43% would pay more for guaranteed human support. Daily AI users are more critical: 40% find AI impersonal (vs. 22% of others) and 27% would pay for human support (vs. 10%). The study underscores the need for better AI metrics beyond response time, focusing on understanding intent and seamless human escalation.

• Alchemer's 2026 AI & Customer Expectations Report surveyed 2,009 U.S. consumers.
• 89% of consumers say AI has negatively impacted their experience in at least one way.
• 44% of consumers cite difficulty reaching a person as the biggest complaint, and 43% would pay more for guaranteed human support.

Alchemer Launches Iris, AI-Native CX Platform

Alchemer has announced Alchemer Iris, an AI-native customer feedback and intelligence platform that unifies feedback collection, analysis, and action across surveys, reviews, reputation management, and other listening channels. Iris embeds AI across the feedback lifecycle with conversational navigation, an AI survey builder, an AI removal assistant for policy-violating reviews, and workflow automation. It builds on Alchemer's existing AI capabilities, including Pulse and Pulse AI launched in 2024, while emphasizing a human-in-the-loop approach. General availability begins in Q4 2026. Alchemer serves more than 11,000 mid-market and enterprise customers across over 80 countries and recently acquired Chatmeter in September 2025, boosting its combined customer count to over 15,000. The company was also named a Challenger in Gartner's 2026 Magic Quadrant for Voice of the Customer platforms.

• Alchemer announced Alchemer Iris, an AI-native customer feedback and intelligence platform, with general availability in Q4 2026.
• Iris features conversational navigation, an AI survey builder, an AI removal assistant, and workflow automation, building on existing AI tools such as Pulse and Pulse AI.
• Alchemer serves over 11,000 customers in more than 80 countries and acquired Chatmeter in September 2025, boosting its combined customer count to over 15,000.

Brands revive human-staffed phone lines amid AI fatigue

Amid growing consumer frustration with AI customer service, several direct-to-consumer brands like Sproos, Made In, and Trade Coffee are reintroducing human-staffed phone lines as a differentiator. A SurveyMonkey study found that 79% of Americans prefer human interaction over AI agents. These brands report increased customer loyalty and deeper insights into customer journeys through phone conversations. The trend highlights a backlash against over-automation and a strategic move to blend human touch with digital efficiency, with some brands even training staff to provide expert advice and sharing call insights with marketing teams.

• 79% of Americans strongly prefer interacting with a human over an AI agent (SurveyMonkey study).
• Sproos, a DTC showerhead brand, launched a human-staffed phone line on Sundays through Fridays, receiving about 30 calls per day.
• Made In cookware operates an AI chatbot but also maintains a phone line, with staff using FaceTime and Zoom for customer assistance.

EU AI Act Disclosure Rules Shape Customer Service Bot Decisions

This CMSWire article examines how brands should determine when to use AI versus human agents in customer service, citing MIT research showing human-AI combinations often underperform the best human-only or AI-only systems. Consumer studies indicate a strong preference for humans in high-stakes interactions, but acceptance of AI for transactional tasks. The EU AI Act Article 50 transparency obligations, effective August 2, 2026, require clear disclosure when interacting with AI. The article argues that transparency, when done well, builds trust and can expand AI's role over time. It offers a framework based on friction, conditional preference, transparency, and frontline knowledge to guide where AI should handle interactions, emphasizing process redesign over simple task reassignment.

• EU AI Act Article 50 transparency obligations require clear disclosure when interacting with AI, effective August 2, 2026.
• MIT Center for Collective Intelligence reviewed 106 experiments and found human-AI combinations underperformed the best human-only or AI-only systems on average.
• Metrigy's 2025-26 consumer study found 84.7% prefer human agents, but 46% will use AI for specific transactional tasks.

SurveyMonkey announces 40 #1 rankings in G2’s Fall 2026 reports

SurveyMonkey announces 40 #1 rankings in G2’s Fall 2026 reports August 27, 2026