Don’t forget about the 50’s & Up

While Millennials and Generation Z are often in the spotlight, those above the age of 50 shouldn’t be overlooked.

Generation X consists of individuals born between 1965 and 1981, they are considered a transitional generation sandwiched between two larger, louder generations, and as children, they were defined by terms such as “slackers” and “latchkey”. However, while a smaller population, companies still need to keep an eye on this group, as they are in the prime time of their income and according to American Express, they have more spending power than Baby Boomers and Millennials, even if it is heavily influenced by their Generation Z children.

When it comes to customer experience, Generation Xers value streamlined processes and systems, they desire a wide range of communication channels, and they want to reach a customer service representative quickly. And, according to eMarketer, when compared to the other generations, Gen Xers have the highest rate of brand loyalty, as long as their experiences are positive. Consistent with their strong brand loyalty, 86% of Generation Xers would also switch to a competitor because of a poor customer experience.

Baby Boomers are those born from 1946 to 1964 and they make up a quarter of the population. They are early tech adopters, heavily connected, and independent. They are characterized by their strong work ethics, independence, and competitive, goal-oriented nature.

For Baby Boomers, customer experience needs to be available 24/7, solution-oriented, polite, and authentic. They are also the most likely generation to yell into a phone, “I want to speak to a human being” after hitting 0 ten times, as they prefer to talk to a real person and have their issue resolved in one call. And, while they didn’t grow up with technology, they also desire a seamless experience.

And lastly, the Traditionalists, also called Maturists or Silent, make up roughly a tenth of the population. They are retired, loyal, disciplined, and while they are late adopters of technology, they are not tech illiterate. For customer experiences, this generation values individualized attention, high touch customer experiences, and personalized phone experiences.

In summary, while all generations have defining characteristics, each one’s demands impact the expectations of the others. Hence, while Millennials were the first to demand a seamless, omnichannel experience, their Baby Boomer parents also now expect it, and the upcoming generations will expect nothing less.

Is your business equipped with the right technology solutions to offer an efficient, seamless customer experience?