Quick, is Gen Z old enough to work yet? No checking Wikipedia…
Answer: Yes. While there is a bit of a gray area between where exactly Millennials stop and Gen Z starts, demographers pretty much agree that the starting birth years for Gen Z are in the late 90s. So, with the oldest of the crew in their early 20s, those 90s babies are already hitting the workforce. For those of us in the contact center industry, we welcome this new cohort into our multi-generational workforce. It’s an employment landscape where the oldest of the Baby Boomers are still holding ground and the Millennials are into their mid-career years, no longer the wild bunch of upstarts we couldn’t stop talking about five years ago.
So, what does Gen Z bring to the table and what do we need to do to set this new generation up for success? Coming of age in the years of economic recession, these new kids in town have had technology in their pocket almost from the moment they could walk. They live their lives online, curating their personal brands for the world to see and acclimating to platform changes (what Snapchat iteration are we on now?) without blinking an eye. As a result, managing and engaging them in the workplace looks vastly different than that of Baby Boomers, Gen X, or even Millennials.
To say Gen Z is tech savvy does not begin to cover how fluent these workers are in front of a screen. “Digital Native” is more accurate. Their digitally-driven lives make Gen Z agents drastically different to train and manage. Face-to-face communication isn’t necessarily valued by these employees. That’s where highly interactive virtual classrooms and online learning programs, both of which can be customized to individual learning styles, can be valuable.
The prevalence of sleek video conference tools and collaborative work platforms (from simple instant messaging apps to more multifaceted programs like Slack) make it easy not just to work efficiently, but to engage Gen Z on their terms. In the contact center world, there is a lot of work that is tailormade to leverage Gen Z’s greatest strengths. Chat and in-app support channels are basically “home” for employees that are so used to screen-based communication.
Finally, the fact that these individuals are connected to the world from the moment they wake gives rise to some important considerations. In particular, constant checking in with friends and family has made them enormously sensitive to the level of recognition and feedback they receive. This generation expects emojis, confetti bursts, likes, hearts, and thumbs up to validate their efforts. Nothing happens in their lives without external validation of some kind. Short, frequent bursts of communication are key to engagement. Ensure those Boomers, Gen X or Millennial managers working with Gen Z agents understand the power of the star button in Slack or the upvote on the company intranet. More than any other, this generation is motivated by instant gratification even in its smallest, simplest form. Their lives have been influenced from toddlerhood by dopamine loops. On top of that, according to Upfront Analytics, the average attention span of Gen Z is eight seconds and 11% have ADHD. So, pro tip for managers: get to the point, quickly.
In the contact center world, where advancements in technologies like AI and machine learning are transforming the customer experience, Gen Z’s digital know-how is extremely valuable.
Not only are they easy to train from a tech perspective, they are also quick to catch on when changes are rolled out to platforms and processes. Gen Z agents naturally understand how software or platform updates make their jobs more efficient. This hasn’t always been the case – previous generations can become creatures of habit. Changes have historically been disruptive, making it harder to get agent buy-in and support. Gen Z is changing this reality – and is often downright excited about change.
It’s refreshing to collaborate with a group of people who are not only welcoming of change, but also eager to help determine what those changes look like. For most contact center program managers, introducing tools like a new ERP or CRM can present a significant challenge. Gen Z might just be your best ally in this kind of daunting change management scenario. If you’re launching a process change or introducing new tools, sit down with Gen Z agents to say, this is what we want to do – what do you think? Ask them what’s been working well, what’s been challenging, and how they think improvements can be made. Engaging them with this avenue for feedback empowers these agents while providing the opportunity to truly innovate. When changes are ultimately implemented, take a hands-off approach with Gen Z agents, letting them explore and figure it out for themselves – and advocate on your behalf as the early adopters.
Gen Z contact center agents represent huge potential for the future of the contact center – but only if we engage their unique skill sets and perspectives today.
It’s starts with making sure they’re the right fit for the contact center culture to start with. Not every member of Gen Z is going to make the perfect agent just because they live on their smartphones. As this generation takes over their rightful share of the labor market, it is on us to learn more about their needs, wants, and interests so we can build an employment offering that improves retention with this unique group.
The customer care industry can provide surprising career path opportunities. There are numerous directions an agent’s career could take them in, and it all depends upon their motivation to expand and leverage their skillsets and knowledge. Fortunately, surveys from Northeastern University reveal that this generation is highly self-directed; they are “determined to take charge of their own futures,” says Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun. He goes on to comment, “Those of us in higher education must listen to this next generation and enable them to chart their own paths, gain valuable experience, and become the leaders of tomorrow.” We would argue that contact centers must do the same, listening to and acting upon the desires and values of these individuals.
For this newest generation of workers, engaging them naturally looks different but you can’t expect the adjustment to happen organically – you have to be proactive. Understanding how best to train them, communicate with them, effectively empower them, and prepare them for the future is critical to your – and their – success in the contact center.
We’d love to learn more about your contact center needs. Shoot us a message, give us a call, or get friendly with the Blue Ocean chatbot right there in the corner!
Source: https://blueocean.ca/gen-z-contact-center/
Publish Date: March 26, 2019 |
| 3.) |  Customer Experience Services Outsourced contact center services It is one of the most important service that provided by "2P" and specialize to provide services for the establishment and operation of contact centers, customer service and Customer Experience, the most important services provided by this unit are: • Establish, manage and operate call centers and supply the required systems and applications. • Customer Feedback Technology • Social Account Management System (customer interaction, reports, marketing and e-publishing services) • Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) • Artificial Intelligence Systems and Automation Services (AI & Automation) • Business Intelligence Technologies and Performance... (read more) |
| 5.) |  Single window of services Single UI for all of your resources. |
| 6.) |  Combining unmatched experience and specialised skills across more than 40 industries and business functions, Abacus works at the intersection of business and technology to help organisations meet their key priorities and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. Headquartered in the United Kingdom and offices in the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, Abacus has more than 800 global customers and over 2800 customer-focused employees working in 30+ countries. We offer the following services: Business Process Outsourcing Customer Experience and Customer Relationship Management Enterprise Resource Planning AI & Robotic Process Automation API... (read more) |
| 9.) |  Help Desk Services 24/7/365, 100% US-based help desk, with phone, chat, sms and email capabilities as well as ticket and alert management/remediation services. |
| 11.) |  Contact Center Services End to end Contact Center Services provided in Turkey, including call center infrastructure and experience solutions. |
| 15.) |  CallForce Outsourcing Specialists Delivering innovative,customised contact centre solutions from South Africa to the global market |
| 16.) |  Multilingual Customer Service Inbound and outbound customer service/after sales support is the two general types of call center services offered globally by Callnovo. Inbound services are performed by reps who field calls from customers. Outbound reps make calls to customers to follow up on or inquire about account issues. Regardless if you are looking for a telephone, email, live chat or email customer service/after sales support, Callnovo outsourcing call center team is right here to help. With more than 10 years’ experience, Callnovo one-stop multi-language customer service/after sales support call center team takes care of clients’ every single detailed customer service/after sales support need. We are happy to pr... (read more) |
| 17.) |  Managed Technical Service Desk & Contact Center service CGI Canadian Technical Service Desk is a large, well-established, service supporting more than 100 clients and employing over 550 employees. It is underpinned by a mature ITIL aligned Service Management framework, with processes dynamically adapted for multi-sourced delivery environments, and aligned with the ISO/IEC20000 Standard. CGI has a strong customer-centric, Omni Channel, ITIL-aligned Technical Service Desk that offers blended human and machine delivery. We provide end-to-end scalable services that in turn promote a positive end-user experience. The primary objective of our Service Desk is to provide consistent, best-in-class support by efficiently diagnosing, troubleshooting and... (read more)     |
| 18.) |  CGS is a global provider of business applications, enterprise learning, and outsourcing services that support clients’ most fundamental business activities. With optimized call center resources to serve global clients, CGS offers a unique hybrid approach through automation and live agents in its contact centers located in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Its AI-enriched chatbot and RPA technologies complement the customer support services provided by thousands of multilingual call center agents. CGS supports many of the world's industry-leading global brands from retail, hospitality, healthcare, technology, and telecom. The company's innovative, scalable and... (read more) |
| 19.) |  Virtual Assistant Services Ensuring you have an efficient back office team is vital to running a reliable and cost-effective business. Our virtual PA services allow you to have either a live call answering solution that will transfer a call or take messages in absences or a non-voiced option for back-end operations meaning your business is always available to customers. Your dedicated virtual PA will be matched to your business and your requirements and will answer any calls or emails with your company name and a tailored script that you will approve before our team take live calls. This means that non-essential business or personal tasks are taking off your plate which can only benefit your essential business p... (read more) |
| What Happens to Customer Service When Unemployment Hits Historic Lows? | July 3, 2019 |
| Keep Your Contact Center in North America Without Breaking the Bank | June 24, 2019 |
| Oh, the Places You’ll Go: The 4 Contact Center Location Considerations | June 13, 2019 |
| Before You Go to RFP, Get Friendly: A Guide to On-Site Contact Center Visits | May 29, 2019 |
| Up Where Expectations Soar: Customer Care in the Age of Entitlement | April 15, 2019 |
| How to Engage Gen Z in the Contact Center | March 26, 2019 |
| Blue Ocean Wins 2019 Silver Stevie® Award in 13th Annual Stevie Awards for Customer Service | February 26, 2019 |
| Empowering Your Team to Deliver Kick-Ass Customer Experience | February 25, 2019 |
| Are You Using 1999 Metrics to Measure 2019 Customer Care? | February 7, 2019 |
| Which 2019 Consumer Trends Will Impact Your Customer Experience Strategy? | January 22, 2019 |
LOGIN WITH YOUR CONTACTCENTERWORLD.COM ACCOUNT
I am checking out all the amazing and daily updated content on ContactCenterWorld.com and networking with professionals worldwide
Send To Friends Post On My Wall