How does customer experience differ by age?

Customer experience expectations vary far more by age group than many businesses realise. What feels quick, helpful and trustworthy to someone in their twenties can be very different from what matters most to someone aged 55 and over.

That's important because the future of customer experience is often framed as though it’s heading in one clear direction: more digital, more automated, faster, always on, and increasingly shaped by AI. In reality, it’s more complex than that. Expectations don’t move in a straight line; they split across age groups, with different customers valuing very different things.

Moneypenny’s latest Customer Experience Divide research, conducted with Censuswide in January 2026 among 5,001 nationally representative UK consumers and 2,000 senior decision-makers, brings that into sharper focus. It moves the conversation beyond assumptions and shows how attitudes to digital channels, AI, response times, human support and out-of-hours service shift across generations.

For businesses, that creates a clear challenge. Many are still designing support around a fairly generic idea of the customer, when in reality different groups define good service in very different ways. A one-size-fits-all approach is far more likely to miss the mark.

What the research shows at a glance

• 91% of customers aged 55+ say having the option to speak to a real person is important
• 43% of 25 to 34 year olds say chatbots meet their expectations well, versus 17% of customers aged 55+
• Only 36% to 45% of customers say weekday 9am to 5pm support best meets their needs
• 32% of customers who live with a partner and children say evenings best meet their support needs
• Businesses consistently overestimate how well chatbots, AI receptionists and traditional support hours align with customer expectation
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How does customer experience differ by age group?

The simplest answer is that expectations do not converge as customers get older or younger. They branch off. Younger and mid-life customers tend to be more open to low-effort digital service, while older customers place much more weight on confidence-building basics such as clear communication, prompt resolution and access to a real person.

That does not mean one group is more demanding than another. It means they define good service differently. For businesses shaping their future CX strategy, that distinction matters. A one-size-fits-all model is far more likely to miss the mark.

What do older customers value most?

One of the clearest patterns in the research is that older age groups put much more weight on the fundamentals. The option to speak to a real person, clear communication and prompt resolution all become more important as age rises. That does not mean younger customers do not care about these things. They do. But the intensity is different, and that shapes what good service feels like.

Having the option to speak to a real person is important

• 18 to 24 - 70%
• 25 to 34 - 76%
• 35 to 44 - 80%
• 45 to 54 - 84%
• 55+ - 91%

The same pattern shows up elsewhere too. Clear and simple communication matters to 75% of 18 to 24 year olds, rising to 92% of those aged 55+, while prompt resolution climbs from 70% to 91%. In other words, as customers get older, service basics do not become less important. They become more important.

This is particularly relevant for businesses weighing up the right mix of automation and human support. A stronger digital experience can improve convenience, but for older audiences, confidence still comes from clarity and the reassurance that a real person is there when needed.

Which age groups are most open to digital service?

There is a clear appetite for digital-first service, but it is not simply a case of the youngest customers leading every trend. In several areas, it is customers aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 who are most receptive. That makes sense when you think about daily life. These are often the years when convenience, speed and low-effort service matter most.

Chatbots meet expectations well

% saying they work well

• 18 to 24 - 30%
• 25 to 34 - 43%
• 35 to 44 - 37%
• 45 to 54 - 25%
• 55+ - 17%

What businesses believe: 55%

The same shape appears with other digital channels. AI receptionists meet expectations well for 39% of 25 to 34 year olds but only 15% of customers aged 55+, while messaging apps perform strongly across the board, peaking at 62% among both 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 year olds.

This matters for brands thinking about the right service model. There is clear room for digital channels, chatbots and AI-led journeys, especially when they reduce friction. But they need to be designed around real customer confidence levels, not assumptions. For businesses exploring tools such as an AI Voice Agent, the best results are likely to come from using AI to make service easier rather than forcing every customer into the same journey.

Do customers still want support during 9 to 5 hours?

Another standout finding is around timing. Businesses still largely organise support around weekday office hours, but customers are much less convinced that this is what works best. Even among older age groups, 9 to 5 is far from a universal preference.

Weekday 9am to 5pm best meets customer needs

Customers vs business reality

• 18 to 24 - 36%
• 25 to 34 - 37%
• 35 to 44 - 37%
• 45 to 54 - 36%
• 55+ - 45%

Businesses currently offering 9am to 5pm support: 61%

The mismatch is hard to ignore. Just 36% of 18 to 24 year olds and 37% of those aged 25 to 44 say weekday 9am to 5pm suits them best, yet 61% of businesses still mainly offer support during those hours.

There is also a strong signal that out-of-hours support is becoming part of the baseline for some audiences. It is expected as standard by 40% of 25 to 34 year olds and 36% of 35 to 44 year olds, compared with just 20% of customers aged 55+. This is not a niche operational issue. It is a CX design issue.

The pressure is even clearer among households with children. Among customers who live with a partner and children, 32% say evenings (5pm to 9pm) best meet their support needs, while 33% say live support outside traditional weekday hours fits better around their working hours or personal commitments. It is a useful reminder that out-of-hours support is not just a convenience feature. For many busy households, it is what makes support realistically accessible. Businesses looking to close that gap may need a more flexible mix of support, whether through a telephone answering service, a virtual receptionist service or a broader out-of-hours customer contact strategy.

How comfortable are different age groups with AI in customer service?

The data does not point to a simple backlash against AI. In fact, people are fairly open to AI in the right setting. What matters is whether the experience feels controlled, transparent and easy to escape when needed. The strongest reassurance is not AI sounding more human. It is knowing a human is still available.

Comfortable with AI if there is a hand-off to a human at any point

% of consumers

• 18 to 24 - 59%
• 25 to 34 - 70%
• 35 to 44 - 69%
• 45 to 54 - 68%
• 55+ - 71%

What businesses believe: 82%

That human fallback matters because concern still rises sharply with age. Just 20% of 18 to 24 year olds worry it may be difficult to explain their situation if it's not a real person. Among those aged 55+, that jumps to 39%. Concern about getting stuck in a loop and not reaching someone follows a similar pattern, rising from 21% to 38%.

So the future of AI in customer experience is not really about replacing the human layer, it's about using automation to make simple things easier, while making human escalation feel obvious and immediate when confidence starts to drop.

Where are businesses misreading customer expectations?

Some of the biggest gaps in the research aren't about whether digital service matters, they're about how well businesses think it is already working. Across chatbots, AI receptionists and support hours, business confidence is consistently ahead of customer reality.

Businesses say chatbots meet expectations well for 55% of customers, yet the highest score among any age band is 43%. 61% of businesses still primarily offer weekday 9am to 5pm support, even though only 36% to 45% of customers say those hours suit them best. And while businesses are broadly optimistic about AI-led service, customers across every age group are more comfortable when there is a clear route through to a human.

That gap matters because it shapes investment decisions. If brands design around assumptions instead of behaviour, they risk over-automating the wrong parts of the journey while underinvesting in the moments where reassurance still matters most.

What the future of customer experience really looks like

The most effective customer experiences in the next few years are unlikely to be built around one perfect model, they'll be built around flexibility. Different age groups want different blends of speed, convenience, empathy and human reassurance, and the brands that recognise that will be the ones that stand out.

For younger and mid-life customers, that often means digital-first service that is easy, low-effort and available when they need it. For older customers, it more often means clear communication, confidence that a real person is available, and the sense that their issue will be handled properly the first time.

The brands that will outperform aren't the ones chasing one perfect CX model. They're the ones building service around the reality that a 28-year-old, a 42-year-old parent and a 67-year-old customer may all define good service differently.

Frequently asked questions

• What do younger customers want from customer service?

Younger and mid-life customers tend to be more open to digital-first service, especially when it's quick, low-effort and available outside traditional office hours. They're generally more receptive to chatbots, AI and messaging-based support than older cohorts.

• Do older customers prefer speaking to a real person?

Yes. The research shows that 91% of customers aged 55+ say having the option to speak to a real person is important, compared with 70% of 18 to 24 year olds.

• Is 9 to 5 customer support still enough?

Not for many customers. Only 36% to 45% of customers across the age bands say weekday 9am to 5pm support best meets their needs.

• Are customers comfortable with AI in customer service?

Many are open to AI, but comfort rises when there's a clear hand-off to a human. Customers across all age groups are more confident with AI when they know human support is still available if and when needed.

• Why should businesses tailor customer experience by age group?

Because different age groups define good service differently. It's not a one size fits all - a more flexible service model is more likely to meet expectations than a single approach built around average behaviour.