While global happiness has taken a notable dip, falling nearly 10 points from 66% in 2024 to 58% in 2025, a surprising bright spot has emerged: customer service happiness is on the rise, primarily driven by the increasing adoption of AI.
According to the 2025 Global Happiness Index released today by NiCE, customer service happiness has surged 5 percentage points year-over-year, reaching a new high of 41%. A significant factor in this positive shift is the widespread impact of AI and automation, with 72% of consumers now reporting they’ve experienced its benefits in customer service.
The 2025 Global Happiness Index, which surveyed 12,000 consumers across the US, UK, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil, along with 270 C-suite executives from large enterprises in the US and UK, paints a compelling picture of AI’s growing influence.
Australian insights: trust and willingness to spend
The index highlights that trust in AI is on an upward trajectory. Globally, 60% of consumers trust companies that use AI as much as, or more than, those that don’t. This trust directly translates to positive sentiment, particularly in Australia. Among Australian consumers who trust AI-powered companies more, 66% report feeling happier with customer service, and an impressive 72% feel happier overall.
Regular interaction with AI further solidifies this trust. For Australians who use AI weekly or daily and trust AI-powered companies, confidence nearly doubles. Furthermore, 57% of these frequent users say AI has significantly improved their customer service experience.
Australian consumers prioritise stress-free service (43%), effortless service (32%), and personalised service (25%) as the most important factors for happiness in customer service. Globally, consumers are keen to automate tasks such as cancelling or changing subscriptions (38%), checking in/out of hotels (29%), and cancelling accounts after bereavements (28%).
Executive disconnect and the path forward
Despite the positive consumer sentiment, a disconnect persists among C-suite leaders. Over one in three (37%) globally fear consumers don’t trust AI. There’s also a mismatch in priorities: leaders believe 24/7 availability is what consumers want most, while consumers rank speed of resolution as their top priority.
While 68% of C-suite leaders identify customer service as their top AI and automation investment priority, only 44% feel well-equipped to manage this transition.
Omer Minkara, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Aberdeen, highlighted this shift: “Rising customer service happiness shows consumers want more than transactions; they want meaningful support when it matters most. In uncertain times, exceptional service and the ability to cultivate happiness – not just satisfaction – becomes a powerful value-add that sets brands apart.”
Echoing this sentiment, David Richie, Head of Customer Experience at SSE Airtricity, noted, “Our customers’ expectations of AI-powered experiences are high, shaped by their interactions with Google, Amazon, Netflix, and TikTok. We’re accelerating into new areas with agentic AI, virtual assistants, and smarter data insights, marking the beginning of an exciting journey.”
Jeff Fawcett, Director of Call Centre and Training at Wine Country Gift Baskets, added, “The last twelve months feel like a tipping point for AI and customer service. We’ve moved beyond theory, and today, there’s a lot of hard, measurable data showing how AI is actually working in the real world, whether it’s reducing talk time, staffing needs, or training requirements.”
The full 2025 Global Happiness Index and C-Suite Survey results are available for deeper insights.