The promise of 24/7 customer service is colliding with operational reality. While brands rush to claim they're "always on," many are simply offering diminished service outside business hours—relying on AI bots without the human backup customers need for complex issues.
Nerys Corfield, Director at Injection Consulting, tested this during peak Christmas trading. She called four major UK retailers at 8:15 PM. Only two had live advisors available.
The challenge isn't just customer-facing. Resourcing overnight teams is notoriously difficult, requiring net-new hires who often work from home with minimal support. When bots can't resolve issues overnight, day teams inherit a backlog of frustrated customers—the "morning hangover."