Serving The Millennial

Millennials are a powerful generation who are well informed and have strong decision making skills.  When we think of millennials we think of the younger generation, but how young are we talking? A millennial, also known as “generation Y” is someone born between 1980 and 2000 and they account for almost one-third of the country’s population.  According to the 2011 Canadian census, the largest age group in Calgary was a millennial age group of 24-29. Once the 2016 numbers are released the millennial group is likely to remain a large portion of the Calgary population and one of the reasons why businesses need to keep up to this smart and tech savvy generation.

What does a millennial expect when it comes to customer service?

• Accessibility

Millennials have grown up in the digital age and expect technology to be accessible and work well. In fact, most millennials have grown up in an era where the internet has always been available at home or at school and so they are used to using multiple devices in multiple places. They expect you to be honest and have information accessible to their needs. Having an easy to use mobile site or application is a great way to get started.

• Independence

Unlike generation X, millennials actually prefer to be distanced from face to face conversations and independent when it comes to customer service. They like to do things themselves, such as self-checkouts and apps. However, they do expect accessibility if there is a concern and like all generations, have a system in place to provide a quick response is essential, because no matter what generation you are from a 10 step automated call is never fun.

• Fast Service  

It is important that customer service is top notch and quick when you are serving millennials if you want them to stay loyal to your brand. Due to the fact that technology has served them quickly throughout the years, they are much less patient when it comes to response times. Millennials are also less likely to stay loyal to a company after bad experiences. Half of the millennials leave a business every year, and 25% of millennials will leave a company after just one bad experience. As far as how they spread the word they are both likely to use social media to voice both positive and negative experiences. Millennials have changed word of mouth marketing and referrals drastically.

• Social Engagement

This generation is very powerful when it comes to the message they can spread about their customer experience. This can actually be seen as a positive since millennials want to engage and collaborate with your brand. They love to support causes and certain types of business and they will check in, post statuses, share, use hashtags and talk about their experience online. Providing great customer service and ensuring that you have the platforms for them to connect on is a must if you want to please the millennial crowd. A poor customer experience, however, can spread like wildfire on social media.

If you are a small business owner in Calgary, contact us today to see how you can improve your customer service experience in Calgary!

Kent Boehm
Business & Leadership Coach
403.690.8363 or kent@ninebusinessgroup.ca