---
title: "2022 customer support trends: How support leaders are adapting - The Intercom Blog"
description: "Intercom’s second Customer Support Trends Report, based on a survey of over 1,200 global support leaders across tech, e-commerce, and finance, outlines five trends reshaping the industry in 2022. Customer expectations continue to rise, with 75% of leaders reporting a widening gap; experts advise blending proactive messaging, self-service, and easy access to human agents. Support teams face increasing pressure: 59% report higher incoming volume, 52% have reduced headcount, and 48% say those cuts hurt the customer experience, forcing leaders to find efficiencies without sacrificing quality. Agent burnout is prevalent, exacerbated by longer hours and disconnected tools that slow down nearly half of teams; leaders are redesigning workflows and rethinking traditional KPIs to better support their staff. Empathy has become a top priority for 73% of teams, but 21% feel they lack the enabling tools; building a sustainable empathetic culture requires a holistic investment in strategy, processes, technology, and people."
---

# 2022 customer support trends: How support leaders are adapting - The Intercom Blog

[Intercom](https://yomu.fyi/company/intercom) · Oct 8, 2026

**Type:** Explainer

## Summary

Intercom’s second Customer Support Trends Report, based on a survey of over 1,200 global support leaders across tech, e-commerce, and finance, outlines five trends reshaping the industry in 2022. Customer expectations continue to rise, with 75% of leaders reporting a widening gap; experts advise blending proactive messaging, self-service, and easy access to human agents. Support teams face increasing pressure: 59% report higher incoming volume, 52% have reduced headcount, and 48% say those cuts hurt the customer experience, forcing leaders to find efficiencies without sacrificing quality. Agent burnout is prevalent, exacerbated by longer hours and disconnected tools that slow down nearly half of teams; leaders are redesigning workflows and rethinking traditional KPIs to better support their staff. Empathy has become a top priority for 73% of teams, but 21% feel they lack the enabling tools; building a sustainable empathetic culture requires a holistic investment in strategy, processes, technology, and people.

## Takeaways

- To meet rising expectations, offer a blend of self-serve and proactive support with an easy escalation path to human agents when needed.
- Support should be treated as a value driver, not just a cost center; investing in support can drive retention and expansion.
- Almost half of support teams are slowed by disconnected tools; leaders should check team pain points and use tools that integrate well.

## FAQ

### Why are customer expectations rising?

According to Adrian Swinscoe, the rapid digital shift during the pandemic continues, with customers increasingly using digital channels, but companies are not improving fast enough, widening the expectation gap.

### How can companies balance automation and human support?

Ruth O'Brien recommends a clear strategy that offers proactive and self-serve options while ensuring customers can always reach a human when needed, avoiding extremes of full automation or full human-only support.

### What can leaders do to reduce agent burnout?

Shawn Carter suggests rethinking KPIs to focus on team health and sustainable processes rather than arbitrary targets, and being willing to discard metrics that do not serve the team.

**Tags:** [Automation](https://yomu.fyi/topic/automation), [Customer Service](https://yomu.fyi/topic/customer-service), [Empathy](https://yomu.fyi/topic/empathy), [Trends](https://yomu.fyi/topic/trends)

- Source: [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/blog/podcasts/customer-support-trends-podcast)
- Source URL: https://www.intercom.com/blog/podcasts/customer-support-trends-podcast
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-10-08T21:01:02.760Z

[Read original post](https://www.intercom.com/blog/podcasts/customer-support-trends-podcast)