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Sep 23 2017 Mobile Devices And Channels Aren’t Just For Millennials

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Among contact center managers, there is a notion the culture of mobile technology is exclusive to the millennial generation. After all, millennials are the people you see texting all the time and talking about the latest mobile apps. The older generation prefers to get in touch via a voice channel and interact with a real live person, right?

Unfortunately, these stereotypes are no longer reliable as an accurate reflection of how people of different ages like to communicate.

Correcting Myths About Age and Technology

In spite of common misconceptions about nonmillennial’s negative attitude toward modern technology, studies show the adaption rate of new communications technologies among the older generations is surprisingly high. Even though older generations typically take longer to adapt to new technologies, once they have seen the benefits of a new method, they are likely to become very loyal to it and unwilling to return to traditional methods, such as the telephone or snail mail.

Millennials, in contrast, are less loyal to their favorite communication methods and are generally happy to use any channel that is convenient for them in that moment.

Implications for Medical Contact Centers

These days, a contact center that communicates with patients via a simple phone line is no longer well-equipped to provide a comprehensive service to customers. This is true even if your calling population is skewed toward the older generation.

What’s concerning is that many contact center managers are still avoiding implementing newer methods of communicating with their customers. These contact centers risk being left behind, as even the older generation is switching to using modern communication channels and mobile devices.

New Channels of Communication

Today, there are many ways to communicate besides the traditional phone call, including email, web chats, video streaming, and virtual office visits. Many of these modern methods of communication could bring enormous benefits to the older generations.

For example, a patient who engages in a video call can show the agent or nurse the symptoms they are experiencing, rather than relying on verbal description. Why not give these new channels a try? Your older callers might be more open to giving them a try than you might think.

Why You Need to Use Mobile Channels in Your Contact Center

If your contact center currently only uses phone calls to communicate with your customers, you need to think about offering more channels. Regardless of the age profile of your calling population, an omnichannel approach is the best way to improve communication between your contact center agents and the calling population.

While the older population is adapting surprisingly quickly to new channels, millennials appreciate having a range of options for getting in touch with you. An omnichannel approach allows each individual to communicate in the way they find most comfortable and convenient, rather than pigeonholing them based on their age.

Final Thought

If you manage a contact center, it’s time you start to investigate the multiple communication channels you can offer to your customers. Take the time to consider how you can work these new technologies into your existing technological frameworks to increase the numbers of channels you currently support.

Making the shift to a multichannel approach can help your contact center to connect more effectively with all your customers, even those who are much older than the millennial generation.