What the American Customer Satisfaction Index Reveals About 2026

Across industries, performance is converging. The highest-scoring companies are not reaching the peaks they once did, and the lowest performers are not falling as far behind. In 2026, customer experience feels increasingly interchangeable — and that should concern you.

This is what the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) reveals about 2026.

The national ACSI score holds at 76.9 out of 100 and has not meaningfully improved since 2017. It declined slightly year over year. That marks nearly a decade of stagnation in the world’s largest economy — despite heavy investment in digital transformation and AI.

In this episode of The Modern Customer podcast, Forrest Morgeson, Director of Research at ACSI and Associate Professor at Michigan State University, explains what flat scores and narrowing gaps mean for leaders. Satisfaction has stalled. Competitive distance is shrinking. Differentiation is harder to sustain.

AI is reshaping service delivery, often accompanied by workforce reductions in pursuit of efficiency. Deploying automation before it consistently outperforms human service introduces strategic risk.

At the same time, loyalty is increasing despite stagnant satisfaction. This divergence may reflect switching costs or constrained alternatives rather than stronger advocacy — raising the risk of defection if credible competitors emerge.

Key highlights from the conversation:

• Satisfaction has remained largely unchanged for nearly a decade.

• The distance between top and bottom performers is narrowing.

• AI deployment is accelerating under pressure to deliver efficiency gains.

• Loyalty gains may mask underlying vulnerability if credible alternatives appear.

Listen to the conversation — and review the latest ACSI report to understand what these shifts signal for your 2026 strategy.

🎧 Stream now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.