“Millenials” (anyone born between 1981 and 2000) are a demanding group of customers…
The first generation with access to instant communication, they expect service at any time and on the channels that they choose. It is largely the demands of millennials that have turned the voice customer contact channel from the default into one of many – including social networks. This also means that they are the most open to new ideas and new ways to get help. If your company creates an online digital help system that makes it easy to find self-service information, as opposed to calling for help, millennial customers will be the most likely to use it and the easiest to coach.
The so-called ‘broadcast generation’ – people between 35 and 55 – are also likely to prefer helping themselves, if possible, but they may need a little support. If your customer experience advisors can coach these customers on finding information then it may take a little extra time on an initial call, but it will prove a worthwhile investment in the long run by preventing further calls in the future.
The over-55 customer often has a lot of buying power and more time than other demographics. They may need more support than the other groups when it comes to digital self-service, but they can be successfully coached if advisors are allowed to invest the required time and effort.
Hiring your own team of digital natives – millennials who have only ever known a range of communication technologies – is a great approach to building a truly contemporary contact centre. You need to create an environment where the team can not only serve customers, but also coach them in how to find the answers without calling again. Your advisors should be able to share information and guide customers to the answers regardless of the demographic group of the customer.
What do you think of millennials and their preference for online information? Can coaching really deflect calls away from the contact centre if time is invested in showing customers how to serve themselves?
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Two years ago Deloitte made the bold prediction that in Retail, by 2020, physical stores would be replaced by “showrooms” with store assistants guiding customers to purchase online.
Could we see the same thing occur in contact centres across all sectors…with advisors resolving the customer’s problems and then helping them to serve themselves in the future?
In our new Digital Coaching paper we look at whether the role of the customer experience advisor could eventually evolve to become that of a “digital coach”, using their skills to help reduce future contact volumes and drive increased sales online.
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