How Millennials are Affecting the Future of Contact Centers

Both in and out of contact centers, younger generations are changing customer service in a profound way. The millennial and Gen Z consumers are expecting seamless transitions between online chat and voice, while employees need up-to-date tools and collaborative skills to keep their clients (and themselves) content in the work they do. More so now than ever, employers need to look at these generations that are shaping the customer service industry today.

In the year 2025, over 75% of the labor market will be millennials, according to Governance Studies at Brookings. Studies also indicate that millennials are more natural team players, cultivated by early learning and classroom environments. This mindset will create a work environment that showcases a collaborative spirit with real results. The MIT Media Lab did a study that showed when a contact center team took breaks and socialized with each other, the average handling time of a call fell more than 8% and even 20% for lower-performing teams. This also increased employee satisfaction levels, sometimes more than 10%.

One of the most significant contributions millennials have made to the contact center industry is the desire for flexible work schedules. Millennials have encouraged employers of contact centers to create objectives to be met versus “clocking in and out.” The cloud-based services, like unified contact center platforms, have been developed to enable contact center employees to work from many different locations.

Another attribute of the millennial generation is the stereotype of needing to “earn a trophy” for everything. Though this tends to be viewed as a negative, employers recognize the merit of achievement for all age groups across the board. According to a Gallup report, managers who received positive feedback had turnover rates that were 14.9% lower than for employees who received no feedback. This is huge considering the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that workers between ages 20-34 stay with an organization for approximately two years.

The data doesn’t end there. After receiving positive feedback, productivity data showed 12.5% greater productivity within the teams the managers were in charge of. With older millennials being in positions of managers or soon-to-be managers, this positive reinforcement is critical for the bottom line.

The high turnover rate in jobs isn’t always connected to a generation. During the U.S. recession (approximately 2007-2009), 10% of the entire U.S. population was underemployed or unemployed. Since then, more jobs have become available, and the unemployment rate has steadily declined. The customer service industry historically has a higher turnover rate in general, and with more positions available, there are more opportunities to move in between them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in May of 2019 is only 3.6%.

To learn more about how unemployment rates and millennials can influence contact centers, download our latest whitepaper: How Low U.S. Unemployment Rates Affect Contact Centers.