4 Types of Contact Center Technology You Need to Win Over Gen-Z

Gen-Z’s expectations of technology are far higher than previous generations. If you don’t start implementing these four types of contact center technology into your business, you’re going to have serious trouble connecting with this generation of digital natives.

Gen-Z Expects More from Technology than Previous Generations

If they’re anything like Millennials, you can expect Gen-Z to rock incumbent corporations and further disrupt big industries. In the fallout from the COVID-19 crisis, we can expect that impact to be even more pronounced.

One thing we know about Gen-Z is that their expectations of technology are far higher. They’ve never known a time when the internet didn’t exist, and they communicate in a completely different way because of it.
One thing we know about Gen-Z is that their expectations of technology are far higher. They've never known a time when the internet didn't exist, and they communicate in a completely different way because of it. #gen-z #cctr Click To Tweet
This generation will begin to dominate the marketplace over the next decade. If you want to prevent your business from suffering, it’s essential to upgrade your systems now to meet Gen-Z’s expectations.

Here are four types of contact center technology Gen-Z will expect from your business that you can invest in now.

1. A Fully Integrated Omnichannel Contact Center

Omnichannel contact centers are more than just ‘nice to have’— they’re now essential for a great customer experience.

Gen-Z views your business as a single entity, and they don’t understand why they can’t start a conversation on Twitter and then continue it on Live Chat.

Make sure you get all your contact center operations into a single system so that everyone can see a full history of customer interactions. It also pays to start viewing agents as specialists who move between channels to pick up a conversation or to solve a specific problem, rather than being restricted to a single channel for all interactions.

2. Fully Functional Mobile Offering

You may have heard the term ‘mobile-first’. Gen-Z is a mobile-first generation. The companies that are considered most customer-centric are heavily investing in their mobile offerings.

Gen-Z won’t tolerate a mobile app that doesn’t have full functionality. And they’ll quickly become frustrated if you don’t have mobile-friendly contact options like live-chat and click-to-call buttons.

3. Web Call-Backs and Scheduled Call-Backs

Members of Gen-Z aren’t the introverts they’re often made out to be, they just communicate differently. They prefer chat support and, interestingly, face-to-face interaction. This doesn’t mean they won’t call you, but they’ll be a lot happier if you call them.
One thing that's clear about Gen-Z is their preference for video. Almost all of them have watched at least one video on YouTube in the last month to self-educate about a topic. #gen-z #cctr Click To Tweet
Take note of how Apple structures its Help pages: When the user reaches a point where they must speak to someone, Apple offers to start a live chat conversation or call the customer back. The only time the customer picks up the phone is to speak to a rep. No fuss. No hold time or IVR. Just an easy transfer to someone who can help with your problem.

Get Web Call-Backs (formerly Visual IVR) up and running on your website and any other digital channels, and you’ll immediately see the benefits in your KPIs.

4. Video and Interactive Self-Help

One thing that’s clear about Gen-Z is their preference for video. Almost all of them have watched at least one video on YouTube in the last month to self-educate about a topic.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to start turning your textual self-help content into video content. Keep them short and simple and don’t forget to make them available on other platforms (such as YouTube) as well as your website.

Invest in Reducing Friction

The big players — like Apple and Amazon — invest billions in researching and reducing customer friction because it works. Gen-Z’s expectations of technology will make them even more sensitive to friction in your customer experience.

It’s important to invest in reducing friction in all areas of your customer experience — not just your sales process — if you want to attract and retain Gen-Z customers.