The annual conference of Customer Contact & CX Forum has as theme 'gamechangers in customer contact'. With Joeri Van den Bergh, one of the keynotes of the conference, we talk about the risk of considering Generation Z as a group with homogeneous expectations regarding customer contact and customer service.

 

Companies often use one customer contact strategy for their entire customer group: think of tone of voice and channel choice. These choices then apply to everyone, while products are often tailored to target groups.

Van den Bergh thinks that is no longer in keeping with the times: “I understand that this way of working once arose from efficiency considerations. But technology has developed further and is ready to tackle it in a different way. Moreover, especially from Gen Z, the expectations and preferences are really different than with previous generations. Gen Z grew up with personalized experiences and co-creation.”

The same tone of voice can also be a problem: formal or informal is no longer taken for granted by everyone. “Gen Z finds a formal tone rather off-putting,” says Van den Bergh, “'One size fits all' is becoming less and less effective. Even established brands like Coca-Cola, who stuck to a taste for years, are now seeing that. Even in mass products, people are increasingly working towards personalization. I think that is also the future for customer contact strategies.”

Is this focus on differences justified?

There are all sorts of assumptions about new generations. They are said to be very different from new generations and if that is the case, that naturally poses challenges for companies. But are there also similarities between generations? In other words: what should companies always take into account in their customer contact choices?

Universal needs and expectations, according to Van den Bergh, are being helped more quickly and having the feeling that questions or complaints are really being listened to. “Expertise is also expected from the person being spoken to. And an effective solution to the problem is also a universal expectation. The differences in expectations between generations are mainly in the channels and the tone of voice.”

One Gen Z'er is not the same as another

Another misconception about generations is that a certain generation is homogeneous. But not all Gen Zers are the same, Van den Bergh confirms. “I will also discuss this during my keynote at the Customer Contact & CX Forum conference. We have found five segments within Generation Z in both Belgium and the Netherlands when it comes to what Gen Zers expect from brands. Important dimensions on which differences can be found have to do with sustainability and inclusivity. There is a group that finds these topics important and also adjusts its behavior accordingly. That group only makes up about 20 percent of Gen Z. There is also a group that does find it important but bases its purchasing decisions on it because it is hip and trendy instead of adjusting its behavior at home. Together, both groups make up half of Gen Z. Gen Z is said to be an inclusive generation, but for the majority of this generation, exclusivity and trendiness are more important than sustainability. That also translates into brand choices.”

Exclusivity, but inclusive please

If the largest group of Gen Z values ​​exclusivity, how can customer service respond to this?
Van den Bergh: “Gen Z does believe that exclusivity should be accessible to everyone. Red carpet service or new products may only be accessible to a certain group, but that group must be inclusive. Everyone must have the same chance of exclusivity and that chance is often based on, for example, brand loyalty. Think of: 'those who have been our customers for a long time are the first to know about new product innovations'.”
Paying for additional services – consider service differentiation – may be a sensitive issue among Gen Z, Van den Bergh estimates.

Turn-offs

Are there also things that younger generations completely tune out or don't understand?
“Being only available during office hours is one of them,” Van den Bergh explains. “Gen Z often sees that they can reach them 24×7, but that customer service is only available during office hours. As mentioned: the availability of different channels is also essential; they want to decide for themselves whether they opt for voice, social media, chat or self-service today. And finally, just like everyone else, they hate long waiting times and complicated IVRs. They expect more from technology: they are used to efficient purchasing processes.”

Personalization? Train your employees too

Anyone who wants to work on more personalized services could start by making the 'my environment' more personally relevant. For example, by providing information there. AI also offers the possibility of making personalized recommendations. It's not just about technology, warns Van den Bergh. "You will also have to train your employees to respond in an empathetic and personal way, with an adapted tone of voice. You can't determine or script that in advance, because you don't know exactly what the customer expects at the start of the conversation. Recording preferences - for example: how do you want to be addressed - also often depends on the situation the customer is in. That really remains a matter of feeling at the moment itself."

(Ziptone/Erik Bouwer)

 

Joeri Van den Bergh is keynote during the upcoming Customer Contact Congress of Customer Contact & CX Forum on November 21, 2024. Van den Bergh is affiliated with Vlerick Business School as a professor of marketing and has extensive experience as a Future Consumer Expert with all aspects of marketing to teenagers and young adults. He has conducted research for eBay, Coca-Cola, Spotify, Danone, Red Bull, IKEA, Heineken, Converse, Nestlé, AXA and Unilever on how these companies can target the next generations of customers.

Customer Experience, Event, Featured Customer Contact