Neither you nor I are centennials, that’s clear. So, without question, we need help to understand what happens inside the mind of these young people who are determined to break with all the established structures.
Can you imagine what it is like to be born in a world where Google already exists and everyone carries a mobile phone in their pocket? No, neither do I. But keep in mind that these young people cannot conceive a world without internet. That is why it is worth reading and learning about these new generations which, in addition to an age gap separating us, there are many issues of the historical-social context in which they have grown up that keep us away from them and make it difficult for us to understand their behavior. Behavior that also affects the way they shop and engage with brands.
In this article we will shed a little light on this topic to learn how to deal with interactions through our contact center with these digitized young people.
Let’s start from the beginning, what do we say when we say ‘Centennials’ or ‘Generation Z’?
We mean the group of people born between 1995 and 2010, who are mainly characterized for being irreverent, impatient and demanding. There are two key factors that determine their personality: 1) they were born at the turn of the century, with all that that implies, and 2) they are the first generation of digital natives. They differ from their predecessors, the Millennials (1980-1994), because they, although they are familiar with technology, have had to incorporate it into a life that was analog, while the Centennials were born with their mobile in their hand and a 100% digital mindset (with the good and the bad that that implies). They drink less alcohol, eat less meat and don’t make owning a car a priority, according to the Bank of America ‘OK Zoomer: Gen Z Primer‘ study.
In addition, they have a great inclination to environmental and social causes, so they can be very picky about the brands they choose. They currently represent practically 40% of the world’s population. Time to put the spotlight on them, unquestionably.
Now we are at a key moment: the “Z Revolution” has begun. Why? Because these young people have already entered the workforce and are beginning to have the purchasing power to make their own purchases and investments. So hold on! That little by little they will begin to turn everything upside down.
According to the aforementioned study by ‘OK Zoomer: Gen Z Primer’, 80% of those interviewed make their investment decisions in ESG (environmental, social and governance) terms. Important data to keep in mind, especially if we observe that by 2030 their income will exceed the one of the ‘millennials’.
Fun-facts about how centennials operate regarding Customer Service
To meet the expectations of the Centennials, companies are required to provide a dynamic mix of 24/7 availability in a variety of ways, primarily including social media, email, and live chat, and also empower their real agents with the skills and technologies necessary to solve problems quickly and effectively.
Never try to fool a centennial: generation Z identifies lies from miles away
One of the values that this generation prioritizes is honesty. They are used to dealing with an infinite amount of information, so they can reveal a deception or dubious message in 3,2,1 consulting their social media channels or the web. And if they find out you’ve tried to fool them, they’ll put you in the black list. And they will spread the word on social media so that all their friends know it too.
But do not be scared, because in the end they are good people who will listen to you and give you the chance to express yourself, but they demand a lot from the brands with which they are in touch and if they have given you their trust, they expect you to respond in the same way. So if they try to contact you through your call center or contact center, it is better that you be ready to respond to their query in less than 5 minutes, otherwise this potential friendship will already start on the wrong foot.
A tip that you will appreciate: be brief, you have 280 characters and less than 8 seconds to keep their attention.
One of the qualities that best identifies them is that they are a highly self-learned generation. And this also applies to their relationship with brands. A Gartner survey of more than 4,500 customers conducted in December 2020 revealed that 62% of Millennials and 75% of Centennials would use third-party help (such as Google search or a YouTube video) to solve their problems with a product or service, even when they have the possibility to contact customer support.
How can this impact you as a business?
Centennials have access to information that you do not control and can damage your image or reputation. Some measures that you can take from your customer service team are:
- Audit the entire customer service journey by researching the most common service issues resolved on popular search engines.
- Ensuring that company-owned web pages dominate the first page of search engine results (by investing in SEO)
- Review third-party content to allow your contact center agents to confidently resolve misleading or incorrect information in their interactions with customers.
- Engaging customer service employees in creating problem-solving content, both for their own and third-party media, so this generation of customers can have reliable information to solve problems themselves.
In short, do you want a Centennial to like you?
- Short communications (remember, almost like a tweet, 280 characters)
- Get to the point, no laps (you have 8 seconds of attention)
- Be honest with the situation and steps to follow (you do not want a scandal in social media)
- Respond quickly (no time to waste)
- Go digital (Here is a free eBook on Digitization that can help you)
- Reinforce your omnichannel strategy (you never know through which channel a Centennial will want to contact you, you have to be prepared for everything) with a software like EVOLUTION, which has all the features for a successful execution.
How to have a Centennials-proof contact center
An omnichannel software for your contact center, such as EVOLUTION, is a must. Work on your 360º communication strategy and also through each contact channel so that everything flows harmoniously and that each of your agents has the historical record with all the information about each person with whom they communicate. With our EVOLUTION contact center software you can manage social media, chat, email, SMS and telephone. Everything a Centennial customer needs!
On the other hand, design your customer journey in such a way that you can “find” your Centennial customer at every point that demands it and that you can also anticipate his/her movements, to be ready to successfully resolve each interaction.
And finally, especially if your main target are Centennials or Millennials, prepare your agents to answer easily and quickly the frequently asked questions, in order to gain their trust.
We’d love to follow the conversation and discuss your contact center software needs with you. Do not hesitate to contact us!
