Think about the last time you contacted a brand for help. You probably weren’t after a friendly chat or a perfectly worded apology; you just wanted your problem fixed quickly and accurately.

CPM’s 2025 State of Customer Experience in Australia report confirms what customers have been telling us for years: service excellence is now defined by resolution, not rapport. Accuracy, knowledge, and consistency exceed friendliness and personalisation.

While a polite, friendly tone and good service matter, they are secondary to resolving the core issue.

Why Outcomes Now Define Service Excellence

For years, customer experience conversations have centred on empathy, tone, and personalisation. While those qualities are always important, they no longer define what customers value most.

Today’s customers are time-poor, digitally-confident, and outcome-driven. They value clarity and efficiency over courtesy alone. A friendly call that doesn’t fix the issue feels hollow, whereas a fast and accurate resolution builds lasting satisfaction.

Findings in our 2025 report clearly show that correct information, knowledgeable representatives and consistency across channels, now define service excellence.

Ninety-one percent of Australians now rate access to correct information as highly important, up from 58% in 2016, making accuracy of provided information the strongest driver of excellent customer service. Empathy enhances the moment, but resolution defines the experience.

Competence Is the New Courtesy

Courtesy remains important, but it is now a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator. What sets brands apart today is competence – the ability to diagnose and fix problems the first time.

In today’s service landscape, competence has become the new courtesy. The most respectful thing a brand can do for its customers is to resolve their issue completely, without transfers, repetition, or confusion.

A polite apology means little if the issue reappears a week later. Competence earns trust; tone alone cannot.

Effortless Resolution Builds Confidence and Trust

Two-thirds of Australians value first-contact resolution, and an equal number prefer representatives who can solve issues without transfers or escalation. These figures show how much customers value effortless service.

Every extra step adds friction. Each time a customer has to repeat their story or wait for a call-back, trust weakens. When an issue is resolved smoothly and quickly, customers feel confident that the brand is capable and dependable.

Resolution builds trust because it demonstrates competence in action.

To make effortless resolution possible, brands should:

• Empower agents with the authority, tools, and visibility to resolve issues at first contact.
• Integrate systems so every representative sees the full customer picture.
• Simplify processes and train for diagnostic problem-solving to fix the root cause, not just the symptom.

When service feels easy, customers don’t only feel satisfied; they believe in the brand.

Resolution Has Redefined Customer Relationship

The 2025 findings reveal that resolution has reshaped what ‘relationship’ means in customer service.

Customers now assess service quality through four connected attributes:

• Accuracy: Getting it right the first time.
• Efficiency: Solving problems quickly without wasted steps.
• Consistency: Providing reliable answers across every channel.
• Competence: Equipping agents to act with confidence and authority.

Together, these elements form the foundation of a resolution-first service model.

When customers experience fast and accurate resolutions, they develop confidence and trust. Warmth can make the experience pleasant, but resolution makes it meaningful. The two complement each other; empathy opens the interaction, and competence brings closure.

Redefining Success in Customer Support

As automation and AI take over routine tasks, human agents are freed to focus on complex, outcome-critical cases that build or break customer trust.

While technology drives efficiency, customers still value the human connection. Seventy-six percent of Australians rate access to human representatives as highly or very-highly important, highlighting that people remain central to resolution.

In this environment, resolution capability becomes the ultimate differentiator. Intelligent routing, predictive insights, and empowered human expertise together define the next frontier of service.

A customer’s best experience is a resolved experience. Resolution is not just an outcome metric; it is the foundation of credible, modern customer service.

The CX Imperative

The 2025 State of CX in Australia signals a fundamental shift in what defines service excellence. Australians no longer see great service as only friendly or personalised. They now expect it to be competent, informed, and conclusive.

Customers value a friendly approach, but they reward brands that deliver resolution first. When issues are fixed quickly and correctly, trust naturally follows.

Wanting resolution is not about impatience. It reflects clarity of purpose in customer service. Brands that balance empathy with efficiency will not only build satisfaction and loyalty; they will also strengthen operational performance and brand trust.