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The recent five to six years have given sufficient testimony that traditional communication is fast becoming obsolete. Communication is going digital. And it has tremendous scope for customer service. People’s attention is slowly moving away from phone calls and in- person meetings to text messages and other digital channels.

Today, millennials — people born from 1980 up to the millennium (2000) — are smarter, powerful and have different expectations from brands. An article published in Teamhgs.com reveals that the millennial customers—80 million in the U.S. alone—are about to become the most significant (and disruptive) customers your business will ever see. They are the ultimate omnichannel customers.

Therefore, a company or brand needs to be multi-channel and help customers in a variety of ways across different social media and other platforms. We see people having and raising their voice. The millennials dont shy away from supporting something they believe in, and they expect the brands to do the same. A brand needs to have an opinion or share its experience or story to build a relationship with the customers. According to Socialmediatoday, 33% of clients prefer to contact brands using social media rather than the telephone.

In this post, we will discuss some of the ways that will help brands interact, engage and serve their millennial customers better!

1. The Onmi-Channel Approach –

These days, almost everyone is always on-the-go, and they expect companies to deliver customer service on the platforms and devices they are using. According to Gartner, in just over a year, more than 50% of smartphone and tablet users will use their devices for all online activities, including their customer support needs. And these expectations of customers will only increase as technology advances. According to Seonick, 65% customers are frustrated by inconsistent experiences across channels.\

Therefore, businesses must provides a seamless customer experience through omnichannel solutions. Apart from being present across different channels such as chat, social, video, mobile, web, etc., they must also deliver customer service experience across devices (tablets, smartwatches etc.). The company needs to be tech- savvy and delivers the kind of experience that millennials demand. There is a need for marketers to know about mobile affiliate marketing.

For instance, REI get omni-channel right. There is up-to-date and accurate product information at every turn on their site whether you are browsing through a desktop, ipad or smartphone.

2. Transfrom Digitally –

There has been a considerable amount of digital transformation in the past decade. The number of channels for customer-brand interaction have increased drastically. Therefore companies need to change themselves across different digital channels such as mobile, web and social. They will have to invest in a lot of time and money in order to provide a “wow”customer experience and have a competitive edge over the others.

An article published in Getresponse reveals that when companies engage and respond to customer service requests over social media, those customers spend 20% to 40% more money with the company than other clients do. The sales and discount that brands put on social media influence buyers to the extent that they consider buying that product or service. The brands need to understand their customers, ask for their feedback and keep a regular communication with them to stand out amongst the rest. Don’t forget to keep your company logo design as a big part of your social media pages so that people know and remember it.

For instance, Dominos revamped its digital presence with Domino’s Australia estimated to now take over 50% of all orders now through digital means, including online and via mobile phone apps.



3. Make Sure You Work 24*7 –

The era of nine-to- five customer service is over. The millennials want everything and NOW! They want their desires to be fulfilled as fast as possible. Since they are on-the- go most of the times, through their smartphones, brands need to be fast enough to solve their queries or reply to them. And these days, due to technological advancements, it is not at all difficult to be available 24*7. You can have bots installed that reply much faster or there are automated reply systems. Also, ensure you have a SEO Audit tool as it provides a detailed insight and overview of your website’s current standing.

An article published in Entrepreneur.com reveals that 71 percent of online shoppers claim that the most important thing a brand can do is to value the customer’s time. Take a glance at an example of an online food ordering service company Seamless that serves customers in several time zones across the United States and in London. In addition to engaging customers through trivia questions with prizes of free food, they also provide customer service around the clock. Another way of pleasing your angry customers is by sending them gag gifts.



Brands note:

The millennial customers are no more mere spectators. They have an opinion about almost everything that exists in this world. They like to get involved in the process of making a product or service whether it is a new flavor of Lays Chips or how effective is a particular beauty product. They want things according to their tastes and preferences. So, keep your customers involved through quizzes, polls, etc. According to Converoinc.com, a 2014 survey by American Express found that 68% of consumers said they’d be willing to spend more with a company that they believe provides excellent service.

The Road Ahead

There will always be changes in customer service. There are so many other changes that once can

talk about such customers service being open 24*7, the customer being in control of the interactions and the list can go on and on. Understanding how it was a decade ago, how it is at present and how it will-will give your brand a perspective on what to do next. For instance, Teleperformance's omnichannel solutions provide the best customer experience across the globe.