Millennials: Why Customer Service Will Never Be The Same

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(Image: Flavia Brandy via Flickr)

Millennials -- and to a lesser extent, older generations -- are changing how they want to interact with customer service, according to a recent study. While the study focuses on how consumers interact with brands, the results also hold lessons for IT in how to tailor internal tech support services to best meet the expectations of a multigenerational workforce.

An online survey of more than 2,000 US consumers conducted by Desk.com, a customer service platform offered by Salesforce, showed a preference to avoid customer service phone calls and engage in other communication methods, including texting, online chat, and social media.

Tech-savvy millennials, in particular, want to interact with customer service reps much the way they interact with their friends -- online and via text chat instead of phone calls. Generation Xers and baby boomers also prefer to avoid the traditional customer service call center.

The definition of which age groups make up these generations differs from study to study. For the purposes of this report, millennials are those aged 18-35; gen Xers are aged 36-55; and boomers are aged 56-65.

Millennials have high expectations for customer service communications overall, particuarly when it comes to how quickly a brand responds to their needs. This is driven partially by an understanding of what technology enables (instant communication and instant gratification) and by perceived failings in existing systems.

Check out the results of the survey and share with us in the comments section below whether you think your organization is meeting the customer service needs of its millennial customers or employees.

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