Whilst the older(ish) generation might be thinking that anyone under the age of 25, spends their days surfing the web or on social media, a new survey suggests otherwise.
The poll, which was conducted by the market leader in call tracking and marketing analytics, Mediahawk, suggests that in fact, a whopping third of 16-24-year olds are choosing to pick up the telephone, rather than go online to get information about shopping when it gets complicated. This is compared to only a quarter of 35- 44-year olds. So, are this new generation reverting to the good old days, when talking on the telephone felt nearly as good as recording Top of the Pops off the radio? And yes, we all did it!
Mediahawk were keen to understand consumer behaviour when it came to their purchasing habits and preferred means to seek information about intended purchases.
Its Good to Talk
One of the key findings with the survey, was that more than 60% of the respondents all preferred having the option to speak to someone over the phone when trying to deal with more complex, personal or issues relating to more expensive items. This was in comparison to only 1 in 10 (9%) that disagreed. This suggests that in fact, when we know we have to go into detail or we need to get our point across, electrical devices just won’t cut it. We prefer to do the talking over the phone.
Compared to this is the revelation that only a quarter of 35-44-year olds, Gen X/Y, like to use the phone, however, this goes up to a third of 16-24-year olds preference for phone calling. This suggests that we might be seeing a trend away from electronic communication as Generation Z turns its back on the proliferation of information available on the web and would be more likely to have a phone call conversation.
In fact, evidence suggest that resolutions are reached much quicker over the telephone than over email or chat. Emails and digital communication feel much less like a personal conversation so it’s much easier to avoid direct questions and answers.
Whether you’re talking to a client, a colleague, a supplier or another business, speaking over the phone makes it easier for them to trust and relate to you. This is the kind of human interaction that emails simply do not provide.
So maybe its time to put that laptop away and dig out that old Nokia 3310 (we all had one) and get the conversations flowing again.
We hope you enjoyed the blog, if you would like any help or advice regarding your business communications, please get in touch with us on 0800 505 3350. You can also drop us a contact form and we will be happy to discuss any of this with you.