My latest research report, Delivering Customer Experience to Millenials, a Survival Guide is about how to use customer experience to turn Millennials into brand advocates. Why does it matter? They are different than other generations that have come before then. If you are in the Boomer Generation and are running a contact center there are some changes on the horizon that are key to know about and start preparing for now.
Let’s look at some of the stats.
There are >2 billion people in the world. Two billion are active on social media and 1 in 3 consumers prefer social to phones for service. Who’s leading the way? Those that were born into the world with nearly a device in their hand, well almost. And while this post is about customer service, we can’t really separate marketing, customer service and other disciplines. We’ll see why in a minute.
Millennials are the largest, most diverse, educated & influential shoppers on the planet. They are positioned to be the wealthiest generation to date and have influence over their Baby Boomer parent’s choices & will inherent their money / real estate. In fact, by 2018 in US, projected income = $3.4 Trillion/year & surpassing Baby Boomer income.
They are different than The Boomer Generation in that social networks & technology are their LIVES! Here’s some stats:
- 75% created a profile on a social networking site
- 55% visit those sites once/day
- 60% connect to the Internet wirelessly when they are away from work or home
- 88% text each other
- 74% new technology makes their life easier
- 50% use it to be closer to their friends
- 65% are disconnected one hour or less a day
And millennials take online action all the time!
- 70% recommend their favorite brands to family & friends
- 47% write about good online experiences
- 40% have criticized a brand on a social network
- 70% would create a video and post it online or write a review about their experience with a company
This post is about customer service, but the initial engagement of Millennials is typically through efforts that tend to fall into marketing – though can also be done in customer service. You want to ask yourself are you really ready for the Millennials generation? Do you understand how different they are?
So if you are wondering where to start here’s some tips:
Map Your Generational Customer Journeys. This is Maya. She is 22 and social is her life. She may do some research using google and find your website. They she may decide to buy something from Facebook ad, then one the she’s using the product and finds it not up to her standards, she complains on twitter and then leaves critical feed back you your website.
Learn Why Millennials Trust Your Company Enough to Buy from Them
While 55% said “price” was most important reason, however, price is the least important in building their trust
- 30% cared more about product quality & quick service
- 20% cared more about the range of products offered
- Brand switching is common (least loyal of all generations)
Learn How Do Millennials Decide To Buy From You
A company’s reputation can matter as much as the performance of its products
- 34% bought from a brand because of the social or political values of the company
- 89% intentionally visit showroom to see product; then price compare & buy online at best price
- 90% tell their family & friends NOT to purchase the company’s products when they lose trust or respect for a brand
Engage Millennials Around Life Events
- They care about things that affect their life
- Graduating, getting married, buying a house, having children, getting a job, getting divorce, dating…
- That’s the type of content they are looking for from you – help them with their life events and they will reward you with their loyalty
But Know As You Engage Millennials, Don’t Separate Marketing and Customer Service!
Millennials don’t see the company from separate silos. They see the company as one large department and they expect that you know them and that you treat them the same in all channels, on all devices and from all interaction aspects – from marketing, to service to…. If a Millennial has a problem with a company, instead of calling customer service…
- They text 5 friends & share frustration on Facebook
- Friends share the story with peer groups
- Result: Friends comment on the incident & share their own stories of disappointment
- A single event can spread like wildfire
- When seeking customer service <1% will call customer!
Empower WORD-OF-MOUTH Millennial From All Departments and Share Data About Customers Across All Departments
Know what Marketing said to the customer about a product and service. Know what the brand promise was and make sure the product lives up to it. And that customer service knows what that promised was so they can help transform a bad situation into a good one. Millennials want to trust your brand.
- Millennials are looking for great products and brands to share with their friends
- Focus on making an excellent product
- If you do, then your marketing efforts can be authentic
- As a result, WOM marketing will be done by Millennials.
So here’s some take aways and look forward to an upcoming report with much more details soon! I am speaking at OpenWorld on Tuesday Sept 20 at 11 AM in Moscone West. Come say hi! I want to hear your stories!
@DrNatalie Petouhoff, VP and Principal Analyst
Constellation Research Covering All Customer Facing Applications to Create Great Customer Experiences!
*Sources: Pew Research, Javelin Strategy & Research Study & IRI study
