The customer experience of AI-enabled payments
A separate weighted survey of 2,000 UK adults tests firms’ confidence against customer outcomes, revealing substantially higher rates of task failure among adults with characteristics of vulnerability.
Consumer research reveals a different perspective on AI inclusion
The industry research provides a picture of how firms assess their own AI inclusion readiness. A separate survey of 2,000 UK adults provides another perspective, examining the experiences of consumers using banking and payment services.
The findings show that vulnerable customers are more likely to encounter difficulties when completing banking or payment tasks. These challenges become more pronounced among people with multiple characteristics of vulnerability, highlighting the importance of designing services that can accommodate a range of needs and circumstances.
The consumer research also provides insight into what customers want when digital services do not work for them. Clearer processes, greater control and straightforward access to human support all emerge as important elements of the customer experience.
While the industry and consumer surveys measure different things and are not directly comparable, together they provide a broader view of inclusion: how prepared firms believe they are, and the experiences customers report in practice.
Vulnerable adults are more likely to report difficulties completing banking and payment tasks. Seventeen per cent said they had been unable to complete a task in the past year because a tool did not work for them, more than three times the rate among other adults.
Vulnerable customers point to practical ways digital services could work better for them, including greater control over online interactions and clearer routes to support. The findings underline the importance of giving customers options when an automated journey does not meet their needs.
Customers’ own responses reinforce these priorities. Clearer processes, simpler interfaces, greater reliability and easier access to human support feature prominently, suggesting that inclusion depends on the wider customer journey as much as the technology itself.
The two surveys offer different perspectives on inclusion. Firms report high levels of confidence in their AI-enabled services and the support they provide, while the consumer research highlights areas where vulnerable customers continue to experience difficulty.
The findings are not directly comparable: the surveys were conducted separately, with different samples and questions. They should instead be read together as an indication of where firms’ reported provision and customers’ experiences may not yet align.
Key finding
Vulnerable customers face greater barriers to completion
Vulnerable adults are more than three times as likely as other adults to report being unable to complete a banking or payment task because a tool did not work for them. The disparity suggests that digital journeys are not delivering equally for all customers, despite firms’ high levels of confidence in their inclusion readiness.