Messaging apps have surpassed social media in terms of monthly active users and are becoming a progressively important part of the communication between brands and their customers. Whenever your clients have a question, they no longer look for your email or your call-centre number, they interact with your brand through messaging.
According to the predictions from Gartner Research, it is estimated that by 2020 consumers will be handling 85% of their engagement with businesses without ever interacting with another human being! So, instead of engaging with people, consumers will use self-service options and chatbots.
Why is that? Well, this is largely due to the fact that millennials prefer to look for a familiar and fast communication platform, expecting to get instant responses. Regarding chatbots, in particular, 60% of millennials have used them and 70% report positive experiences and of those millennials who have not test them yet, more than half say they are interested in using a chatbot.
But, what is it that makes chatbots so appealing to millennials? Their parents often prefer a combination of self-service and human interaction, not to mention their grandparents, who would rather just talk to a human being. The answer lies in the fact that chatbots are the perfect fit for their expectations and the ways in which they are used to interact with the world.
Bots bring instant gratification, a chance to engage with emerging technology, convenience, connection and conversational engagement. On today’s post, I will better analyse why Millennials and chatbots make such a perfect combination!
Instant gratification
The significant improvements in technology over the past 20 years have turned us into the “I want it now” generation. Patience is no longer a necessary attribute in the modern world. It looks as if people have adopted a need for instant gratification that is steered by modern technology and ultimately expected in all aspects of their life.
In fact, our expectations of getting a response from businesses have reduced from days to minutes in the space of just one generation. In the era of millennials, generation Z and a TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) attitude, the users’ attention span is certainly short. Brands only have a moment to get them interested, encourage to take an action or persuade to buy their solution. So, every time the user has performed some kind of action, the system should reward them immediately.
Instant gratification is a way of keeping users motivated and constantly willing to explore your solution. Given a choice, a millennial is much more likely to give a bot a chance to provide an immediate answer than to send an email or pick up the phone. There is no doubt that AI is an excellent channel to provide a good customer care due to the fact that is automated and answers in a flash, just like millennials crave.
Convenience – everything they need in one place!
Millennials are used to be connected all the time. If they need a certain information, to make a purchase or interact with a friend, they are always at a distance of a click — they can do it anywhere at any time. It’s just a matter of grabbing their phone and opening Google or an App of their choosing. Bots have been designed to work with these apps, therefore using them requires no new knowledge.
There’s no doubt that bots have the potential to make life easier for millennials and that they will improve, by leaps and bounds, customer care. These AI assistants can be used to book hotels, seek additional information or check availability. Everything can be done in one single place! Which is really convenient, especially because Millennials love to have everything in the palm of their hands. If things get too complicated and complex, they will search for a simpler product or solution.
Interaction – they spend more time messaging than any other form of communication
These modern generations are in a constant state of communication. When they are not messaging one another or sharing new insta stories, they are tweeting. If not, they are checking and reading the news. Chatbots not only engage with millennials in a casual and conversational-way but they are also located on familiar platforms. Concerning Facebook Messenger alone, millennials are spending an average of 26 hours per month on that app!
Consequently, it only makes sense that brands and services would create chatbots to meet their largest consumer group in the place they are spending a significant amount of time. This makes bots the ideal formula for creating a great customer care service and an experience they wouldn’t forget.
Tech-disruptive technology
Millennials love and take pride to be leading the digital revolution. They are a generation that won’t mind waiting several hours for a release of a new phone or game. Indeed, they embrace new technology and seek to be the first to have the latest gadgets. Since bots are driven by AI, a technology that relies on interaction to grow and improve, millennials have influence just by using this technology!
The more bots can learn their needs and preferences, the more quickly they can provide the desired, instantaneous response.
Millennials are ready for the chatbot revolution — are you?
