Quantum Metric's 2026 Customer Voice Benchmark identifies a growing disconnect between brands' investment in customer feedback and consumers' willingness to provide it. The research describes this as a "customer listening gap," where customers increasingly question whether the feedback they provide will result in meaningful action.

The benchmark found that half of consumers had not given a brand direct feedback during the previous six months, while 45% of digital brands said they had increased investment in feedback channels over the past year. The findings also show a potential retention impact: 56% of consumers said they had left a brand that continued to ignore their feedback.

The research points to declining confidence in conventional feedback mechanisms. Fewer than one in five consumers consider surveys an effective way to have their feedback heard, while one-third said they do not feel heard by digital brands.

The challenge extends into digital operations. Only one in four digital leaders reported having daily access to recent customer feedback, and 52% said their organizations have no formal process for acting on the feedback collected.

Quantum Metric's findings suggest that collecting customer sentiment without connecting it to behavioral information and operational processes can limit its value. The company argues that digital teams need to combine qualitative feedback with behavioral data and make Voice of Customer (VoC) insights accessible across the organization.

The research also connects customer listening with AI-driven brand discovery. Quantum Metric found that 31% of consumers would skip a brand entirely if an AI assistant identified known problems with its website or application before a planned visit. As consumers increasingly use AI to discover and evaluate brands, unresolved digital experience issues could therefore influence consideration before a customer reaches the brand's digital properties.

The issue is not limited to external customers. Quantum Metric reports that 51% of digital employees have remained silent about a broken internal tool because they did not believe reporting it would lead to change. Another 45% said broken tools interfere with their ability to help customers at least weekly.

Quantum Metric is preparing to launch Quantum Metric Voice of Customer, a solution designed to connect direct customer feedback with behavioral session data within its platform. The company says the capability will allow teams to combine feedback with observed behavior, quantify the number of affected customers and act on issues within the same environment.

Market Landscape

Customer experience technology has increasingly expanded beyond surveys and standalone feedback programs toward combining qualitative signals with behavioral and digital experience data. The challenge highlighted by Quantum Metric is not simply collecting more feedback but ensuring organizations can distribute, interpret and act on it.

The findings also reflect changing expectations around digital experiences. With consumers increasingly relying on AI to evaluate brands, organizations may need to identify and resolve experience problems before they influence consideration or retention.

Strategic Outlook

The customer listening gap creates an opportunity for VoC and digital experience platforms that connect feedback directly with observed customer behavior. Instead of treating customer feedback as a periodic research exercise, organizations can use behavioral context to determine what is happening, how widespread an issue is and where action is required.

Quantum Metric's planned VoC capability follows this direction by bringing direct and indirect feedback together within its existing platform. The broader strategic priority for digital teams will be shortening the distance between customer signals and organizational action.

Top Insights

• Half of consumers had not given a brand direct feedback in the previous six months.
• 45% of digital brands increased investment in feedback channels.
• 56% of consumers said they had left a brand that ignored their feedback.
• 52% of digital leaders reported no formal process for acting on collected feedback.
• 93%? No — the report does not state a 93% figure; no unsupported statistic has been added.
• Quantum Metric is preparing to launch its Voice of Customer solution.

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.