Believe it or not, Gen Z has already begun entering the workforce, and will soon be in their prime years as consumers. Since this youngest age cohort is poised to exert outsized influence, the time to start cultivating their loyalty is now.
Often stereotyped as being addicted to screens and social media, this is only a small part of what makes Gen Z distinctive. Loosely defined as being born from 1995 to 2010, they are true digital natives, having been exposed to the Internet, social networks, and mobile systems from early childhood.
This generation values authenticity, is deeply concerned with social and environmental causes, and is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation to date.
Gen Z prefers to do business with brands that not only meet their expectations for customer and employee experience, but also reflect their values. To stay a step ahead of the competition, companies need to keep these preferences in mind to deliver the types of experiences this generation expects.
Engaging Generation Z Customers
If you don’t already offer social media customer service, it’s critical that you do so in the near future. According to Dimension Data’s most recent global survey, over 35% of customers under age 25 prefer to interact with businesses using social channels.
What’s more, Gen Zers are trendsetters that are changing the way we carry out everyday tasks. For example, 40% of this youngest generation prefers searching for information on TikTok and Instagram over Google Search and Maps.
By contrast, in the same Dimension Data survey, only 4% of consumers between ages 40 and 59 (Gen X) reported that they prefer interacting with businesses using social channels.
It stands to reason that if your current customer communications channel strategy is designed around the preferences of older generations, you’ll miss the mark with Gen Z.
Need further proof that meeting the expectations of Gen Z requires stepping up your customer service game?
Survey data reveals that it’s easier to disappoint this age cohort. In a recent Qualtrics survey only 13% of Gen Zers gave a positive rating for recent interactions with businesses. By contrast, Gen Z’s grandparents, the Baby Boomers, were most likely to be “delighted.”
When thinking about generational differences, it’s good to remember that ultimately what consumers want is not a particular channel, but for their needs to be met.
Gen Z needs immediate, on-demand service, as well as the ability to make their authentic voices heard. This should be at the heart of customer experiences moving forward.
Optimizing Generation Z Employee Experiences
Gen Z employees value a culture of engagement, along with the opportunity to be recognized for their achievements and live in accordance with their values.
If they don’t experience this, they are likely to seek employment elsewhere. The average Gen Z worker stays in a job for just under two years, so you ‘ll need to step up your game to retain skilled, motivated employees.
Flexibility and remote work is another key expectation. According to a recent Deloitte global study, a full three quarters of Gen Z prefer remote and flexible work, and 49% of Gen Zs already work remotely at least some of the time. This preference for flexibility especially applies to contact centre agents, often the first job young people will hold.
Becoming an employer of choice means facilitating maximum productivity and motivation while minimizing stress. This is crucial, since, according to Deloitte, 46% of Gen Z reports feeling stressed at work, more so than any other generation.
A key place to start is with user-friendly and intuitive tools and workspaces for contact centre agents and supervisors. By delivering composed experiences, your contact centre employees can enjoy greater flexibility and effectiveness in completing their daily tasks.
Implementing agent feedback and providing agile, personalized training and coaching is another important way to ensure agents stay engaged while growing their career.
By deploying the right workforce engagement management and quality monitoring solutions, your contact centre can allow agents to take a break from channels they may find exhausting and get trained on new skills.
Finally, to take motivation to the next level, leverage tools such as gamification to allow agents to compete and be recognized for their achievements.
Conclusion
In closing, when conducting your planning, it’s wise to remember that the Gen Z preferences across employee and customer experience share many similarities. Once you understand these, you should look to adopt a comprehensive communications strategy.
By delivering flexibility, mobility, and digitally enabled social interactions, you’ll be a step ahead of the game and poised to thrive in the years to come by winning the loyalty of the youngest generation.
This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of 8x8 – View the Original Article
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Call Centre Helper is not responsible for the content of these guest blog posts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Call Centre Helper.
Author: 8x8
Published On: 19th Dec 2022
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