Older generations of customers show less loyalty and patience towards brands than the younger Gen Z (aged 12-27), a new study by Zoom has found.
This research comes from Zoom’s Morning Consult survey, examining how consumer expectations have shifted, and how these expectations differ across generations. The results have provided valuable insights for CX leaders looking to navigate this dynamic environment.
In a previous Zoom survey in 2022, the communications tech company discovered that 16% of consumers would leave a brand after one poor interaction. This figure has increased to 26% in this year’s survey. But how are different generations individually reacting to poor CX?
Gen X (aged 44-59) are 65% more likely to switch brands after one or two negative experiences, compared to 58% of Gen Z. These older generations from age 44 and above are also less patient for brand resolutions. Nearly two thirds of these consumers expect issue resolution in less than 20 minutes, versus only 42% of Gen Z.
Interestingly, the support channels that customers prefer differ for each generation too. 83% of older generations prefer phone support, whereas the digitally native Gen Z (unsurprisingly) are more open to using social media and live video support services.
The survey also discovered that “there is pent-up demand out there for video and screen sharing. 97.2% of those surveyed would use either video or screen sharing, or both, in troubleshooting or consultative calls.” says Robin Gariess, Metrigy CEO.
Finally, Gen Z and Millennials generally have more positive views on AI’s benefits than Gen X and Boomers. However, Boomers’ positive sentiment toward AI significantly increased after they reviewed information on its potential benefits. There is an understanding across generations that AI is used mainly in customer experience to enhance 24/7 self-service or chatbot functionality, rather than improve personalisation (58% vs 13%).