2025年家庭服务行业消费者购买体验调研报告_人际沟通与_AI_在现代购买决策中的价值分析_30页_3mb

The Home Services Buyer Experience Report 2025 Summary

Core Content

This report explores how home services consumers value human connections and perceive AI in their buying journey. It highlights the current state of AI adoption in the home services industry and provides insights into consumer preferences, concerns, and future expectations.

Main Findings

Consumer Acceptance of AI

• 11% of home services consumers have never interacted with a brand's AI.
• 52% believe AI improved their buying experience.
• 26% say AI made no difference.
• 21% think AI worsened their experience.
• 66% feel forced to use AI, indicating a lack of choice and potential frustration.

Emotional Response to AI

• 24% felt negatively about AI interactions.
• 29% felt positively.
• 13% were indifferent.
• Only 2% couldn't differentiate AI from human assistance.

AI's Role in the Buying Journey

• Consumers prefer AI for simple tasks and fast answers.
• 28% prefer AI when they don’t want to talk to a person.
• 57% think AI is worst at solving complex issues.
• 43% think AI is worst at providing empathy.
• 36% think AI is worst at understanding context or nuance.
• 33% think AI is worst at personalizing communication.

Preference for Human Interaction

• 67% of consumers prefer talking to a human representative.
• 45% prefer a combination of AI and human assistance.
• 14% prefer AI.
• Only 4% have no preference.
• Boomers show the strongest preference for human assistance.

Generative AI Usage

• 41% of consumers use generative AI to research high-stakes purchases.
• Gen Z is the most enthusiastic, with 61% using it.
• Boomers are the least likely, with 11% using it.
• Generative AI is used for:
  • Generating questions to ask salespeople (43%)
  • Getting a quick summary of options (42%)
  • Interpreting reviews (40%)
  • Comparing companies (37%)
  • Asking detailed questions (35%)

AI vs. Traditional Search

• Only 10% rely more on generative AI than search engines.
• 2% mostly rely on generative AI.
• Most consumers use both search engines and generative AI, with a slight preference for search engines.

Communication Preferences

• 65% of home services consumers prefer to call for help.
• Calling has increased by 15 percentage points since 2022.
• Email has decreased by 9 percentage points.
• AI assistance has increased by 2 percentage points.
• Online is the preferred channel to complete transactions, but calling is preferred for assistance.

On-Hold Behavior

• 46% of consumers hang up after being on hold.
• 25% hang up after 5 minutes or less.
• 6% wait less than 2 minutes.
• "Unexpected high call volumes" is a common reason for hanging up.
• Automated callback is becoming more popular, with 42% using it in 2025.

Consumer Trust and Concerns

• 39% believe AI is likely to provide misleading or incorrect information.
• 42% trust AI as much as a human.
• 30% are confident AI can resolve complex issues.
• 48% would abandon a purchase if AI were the only option available.

Future Expectations

• 65% are confident AI will become more helpful in the next 3 years.
• 49% think AI will someday fully replace human agents.
• 25% won’t like it if AI replaces humans.
• 7% don’t want to use AI at all.

Human Connection Importance

• 88% consider human connection very important or important during high-stakes purchases.
• Only 13% think it is somewhat important.
• 3% think it is not very important.
• 0% think it is not important at all.

Key Recommendations

• Balance AI and human interaction: AI should enhance, not replace, human assistance.
• Ensure transparency: Consumers want to know when they are interacting with AI.
• Improve AI accuracy and personalization: Trust in AI is still low, and accuracy is a major concern.
• Provide quicker access to human support: This is the top requested improvement.
• Optimize omnichannel experiences: Seamlessly connect online and phone interactions for a cohesive experience.
• Understand demographic differences: Gen Z is more open to AI, while Boomers prefer human interaction.

Conclusion

While AI is increasingly integrated into the home services buying journey, consumers still value human connections, especially for high-stakes decisions. Brands must ensure AI is used appropriately, with a focus on enhancing human interactions and improving accuracy and personalization. A seamless omnichannel experience is critical to maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty.