Written by Chandler Harris, Content Marketing Manager | January 12, 2016
The Millennial generation will soon dominate the workplace. In turn, that’s sure to mean its spending power will rise. Indeed, Accenture predicts that Gen Y will spend $1.4 trillion, representing 30% of total retail sales, by 2020. That, the firm says, means that businesses who want to capture a larger share of the Millennial wallet will have to provide a seamless retail experience.
Compared to previous generations, the digital-savvy Millennials have higher expectations for their interactions with the companies they buy from. They want the flexibility to connect the channels they’re most comfortable with – whether that’s a phone call, Web chat or social media.
It follows, then, that businesses who don’t optimize their phone system for multi-channel interaction are likely to miss out on opportunities with this highly sought after demographic.
Let’s look at a few ways an organization can optimize its phone system and call centers to meet – and exceed – the Millennials’ expectations.
Enable a Single Conversation
Gen Y wants a shopping experience that is fast, personal and memorable. For example, when they have a problem, Millennials want quick answers from your website or an agent on chat. If they need to continue the conversation on the phone, they expect their chat history to carry over.
Consequently, monitoring a website by carrying out regular load testing and other performance testing procedures can help businesses to determine any areas that require improvement so that they can continue to deliver excellent customer experiences.
One way retailers can improve the experience is to organize their channel teams to serve customers on an end-to-end basis, Accenture says. To do this, businesses can deploy a phone system that enables and supports flexible teams.
Create a Personal Connection.
Another attribute of Millennials: They do business with those who make them feel welcome. With CRM like Salesforce integrated into your phone system, you can deliver highly personalized service because entire customer histories are distributed across all channels. This enables you to deliver the customer-centric experience known to keep Millennials coming back.
Connect Anywhere, Anytime, in Any Way.
Millennials love their smartphones and social media. They’re more likely to text than call, and an overwhelming number – 86% – have a smartphone, according to a Pew Research Center survey. A multi-channel contact center creates a frictionless communication experience and allows a business to offer more ways to connect.
Keep Making Improvements.
When measurement tools are an integral part of your phone system, you can track call data effortlessly. This allows you to assess performance and make changes quickly to continually improve the customer experience in real time. Access to call data – how long did it take to resolve a problem? How many times was a call was transferred? How well did a rep interact with the customer? – provides the critical information needed to make the retail experience faster and more enjoyable.
Creating a seamless retail experience isn’t a simple task. It requires rethinking teams and workflow. But with today’s technology, optimizing your phone system to match Millennial expectations is a goal well within reach.