TELUS International has surveyed 2,000 U.S. consumers to uncover the drivers of customer experience success across different generations.
Many results will come as little surprise to seasoned CX professionals. For instance, the report finds that 78% of Millennials and 77% of Gen Z are likely to be influenced by social media ads when contemplating a purchase. Such percentages are much higher than those relating to Baby Boomers (55%) and Gen X (67%).
However, findings that relate to CX automation are perhaps more insightful. One example shows that 65% of customers across all age groups expect a degree of automation within their customer journey.
Baby Boomers particularly enjoy the real-time support applications powered by Robotic Process Automation. In fact, 60% of those in this generation believe that the technology has a positive impact on their perception of a brand and is likely to grow their loyalty.
As the digital revolution rages onwards, many elderly customers will struggle with online innovations. Therefore, AI-driven assistance is perhaps a critical application to engage the Baby Boomer audience.
With that said, these technologies often rely on a healthy data supply. Yet, many Baby Boomers have reservations about how brands store and utilize their data. Even when a company discloses how they retain customer data, more than half of those in this generation (52%) feel uncomfortable with the practice.
To build bridges and overcome this issue, Maria Pardee, chief commercial officer at TELUS International, recommends taking proactive steps to build customer trust. She says:
[Building trust] begins with brands being transparent in disclosing how its customer data will be used and stored. But, with cyber-attacks on the rise, it extends to having robust trust and safety protocols in place, including how to help their customers in the event they do have a data breach.
Having a track record of excellent customer service will also help develop trust and establish positive relationships. However, it also has many more benefits.
For example, the study finds that “good service” following a purchase – which includes short wait time and easy exchange/returns processes – is more likely to lead to a future purchase. Across each generation, this is the case, from 93% of Baby Boomers to 81% of Gen Z.
Making more purchases is the most common way for customers of every generation to show their loyalty, with the exception of Millennials. Instead, members of this generation typically prefer to recommend a brand to their friends and family.
However, the report also reveals several other levers of customer loyalty. These include supporting community causes, offering environmentally friendly products, and having strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies.
Such initiatives influence the brand loyalty of 65% of Millennials, which is markedly higher than the 49% of Baby Boomers. These results perhaps show that the trend will grow in the future.
Understanding trends such as these is critical to CX design, believe Pardee. She says:
By knowing what each generation expects from a positive customer experience, brands can more accurately tailor their strategy and approach, incorporating the right balance of social media… AI-powered services, and human agents to meet their particular demographic’s expectations.
The TELUS International report, which is soon to be released, uncovers many more trends. These bring the current state of CX to light, enabling teams to devise the best transformation projects possible.
