Businesses have started cancelling voicemail services as a cost cutting measure. JPMorgan Chase & Co.<\/a> revealed that it saved $3.2 million by terminating its voicemail services. The head of JPMorgan\u2019s consumer and community bank considers mobile phone calls<\/a> to be a factor aiding their decision. It\u2019s no wonder the voicemail response rate stands at just 4.8%<\/a>. Employee time could be put to better use than opening, transcribing and deleting messages. The recorded messages are extremely short and the need for further clarification arises often, which means more lost time. Additionally, voicemail is impersonal, time-consuming, and insufficiently proactive in this fast-paced smart digital era. In the best case scenario, customers lose only their time (and their patience). But when distress meets inconvenience, eventually customers will turn to a competitor – one ready to respond with a real voice. Millennials and Gen Z start interacting with the outside world very early. It\u2019s highly likely they\u2019re your potential audience. Gen Z accounts for approximately 40% of all customers<\/a>. They also play a role in what their parents purchase – hiking their buying power up to $600 million<\/a>. 98% of Gen Z<\/a> owns smartphones and spend about 21 hours on it per week. So, what do most millennials and Gen Z think about voicemail? Research<\/a> reveals that people under 35 barely use it. They think it\u2019s slow, inefficient, outdated and replaceable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While they prefer texting<\/a>, a significant number of millennials and Gen Z communicate with businesses through phone calls<\/a>. Neither reaching voicemail nor taking messages is appreciated by the two generations. In fact, these messages give millennials anxiety<\/a>, and many ask to \u201cban\u201d it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If millennials and Gen Z customers are part of your target audience, you might want to rethink your customer service strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phone calls and live chat are two of the simplest solutions to identifying and addressing customer problems. When businesses don\u2019t maintain these channels, customer questions go unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Live Call & Chat Support<\/strong>
Prior to this, Coca-Cola<\/a> bid goodbye to using voicemail, saving about $100,000 annually. Coca-Cola attributes the decision to a push to \u201csimplify how they work and increase productivity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/answerconnect-blog\/1\/2021\/02\/AC_Blog_Img_3-1024x538.jpg\")
Reaching voicemail is the equivalent of saying you don\u2019t have time for your customers. It often sends confusing signals like, \u201cI may or may not get back to you,\u201d or \u201cYour call has been declined.\u201d Indeed, irony persists when customers feel they are not <\/em>valued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMILLENNIAL AND GEN Z PERSPECTIVE OF VOICEMAIL<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Millennials<\/a> grew up witnessing the change wrought by smartphones and internet in real-time. They form half the workforce<\/a> of the U.S. 92% of millennials<\/a> own cell phones. They spend up to 19 hours on them a week. Both millennials and Gen Z use the phone as their primary method of long-distance contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/answerconnect-blog\/1\/2021\/02\/AC_Blog_Img_4-1024x538.jpg\")
ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN USE A 24\/7 LIVE ANSWERING SERVICE<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Trained agents can offer callers a real hello within seconds. They answer calls in your brand voice 24\/7<\/a>, be it after-hours, weekends or holidays. They can also take messages, schedule appointments, and assist your callers with relevant information. In addition, you can get live chat support<\/a> through your website for those who prefer to text.
While you take care of other business priorities, agents will attend to customer calls and chats. Even fast-paced Gen Z and millennial customers will appreciate the promptness of your response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n