Millennials Challenge Employee Training
Take a look at your front-line contact centre employees. Most of these jobs are filled with people born between 1983-2000. Nicknamed "Millennials", this group of 60 million Americans is the most adaptable and computer literate generation the world has seen. But, they think and act differently than previous generations of employees.
Why is this generation different from "Boomer" and "Generation X" employees?
Eric Chester, the author who coined the term "Generation Why" says, "Generation Y (Millennials) won't automatically offer up their respect just because someone is older or has a title." They won't automatically accept what you teach in your training courses. Instead, you need to tap into the secret that drives them.
What is that secret? "They pledge their hearts and souls to causes that they believe in, which makes them very loyal employees." says Chester. "They are idealistic and yet cynical. They won't just follow orders."
So if you want to develop professional excellence in your call center or retail sales team, you need to customize your courses to appeal to Millennial attitudes.
Here are 5 tips for training your Millennial contact center employees:
1) Earn their loyalty:
Give them training and an opportunity to excel. Tap into their idealism and desire to be loyal. Whatever you do, do not betray that trust or they will quit. They saw their parent, or parents (much of this generation was raised in single parent homes) sacrifice family time in pursuit of a career, only to be eventually downsized. So, Millennials are willing to sacrifice their careers in exchange for family and more downtime. They will be loyal to a cause but impatient if they feel betrayed.
2) Use facts to overcome their cynicism:
These teenagers and young adults are the first generation to be deliberately targeted by mass marketers and TV commercials. They are cynical because they have been lied to before. You need to prove through facts and case histories why they should believe you.
3) Don't be surprised if they challenge you or dare to say, "Why should I believe you?"
They are not being deliberately rude. But, they need to find out "Why?" before they will accept your advice. They are capable of being loyal but will not give that loyalty easily.
4) Get to the point!
Raised with the Internet and cell phones, they are used to instant gratification. For example, if you are over 35 years old and wanted music, you probably bought a CD (or for those of us who are over 45, a vinyl record.) Millennials download music instantly via the Internet. As a result, when you hold a contact centre training session, you need to make your point quickly and directly.
5) Do not confuse impatience with indifference.
If they believe your training session is unimportant, they will interrupt you or tune you out. But, if you can show why your training workshop is important, you will have their full attention.
Remember that your new contact centre employees want an energetic training session that appeals to their idealism, answers their questions and shows how their contribution makes a difference. Treat your Millennial employees with respect. They will reward you with their adaptability, computer savvy and yes, loyalty.
Copyright © 2016 Reflective Keynotes Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Why is this generation different from "Boomer" and "Generation X" employees?
Eric Chester, the author who coined the term "Generation Why" says, "Generation Y (Millennials) won't automatically offer up their respect just because someone is older or has a title." They won't automatically accept what you teach in your training courses. Instead, you need to tap into the secret that drives them.
What is that secret? "They pledge their hearts and souls to causes that they believe in, which makes them very loyal employees." says Chester. "They are idealistic and yet cynical. They won't just follow orders."
So if you want to develop professional excellence in your call center or retail sales team, you need to customize your courses to appeal to Millennial attitudes.
Here are 5 tips for training your Millennial contact center employees:
1) Earn their loyalty:
Give them training and an opportunity to excel. Tap into their idealism and desire to be loyal. Whatever you do, do not betray that trust or they will quit. They saw their parent, or parents (much of this generation was raised in single parent homes) sacrifice family time in pursuit of a career, only to be eventually downsized. So, Millennials are willing to sacrifice their careers in exchange for family and more downtime. They will be loyal to a cause but impatient if they feel betrayed.
2) Use facts to overcome their cynicism:
These teenagers and young adults are the first generation to be deliberately targeted by mass marketers and TV commercials. They are cynical because they have been lied to before. You need to prove through facts and case histories why they should believe you.
3) Don't be surprised if they challenge you or dare to say, "Why should I believe you?"
They are not being deliberately rude. But, they need to find out "Why?" before they will accept your advice. They are capable of being loyal but will not give that loyalty easily.
4) Get to the point!
Raised with the Internet and cell phones, they are used to instant gratification. For example, if you are over 35 years old and wanted music, you probably bought a CD (or for those of us who are over 45, a vinyl record.) Millennials download music instantly via the Internet. As a result, when you hold a contact centre training session, you need to make your point quickly and directly.
5) Do not confuse impatience with indifference.
If they believe your training session is unimportant, they will interrupt you or tune you out. But, if you can show why your training workshop is important, you will have their full attention.
Remember that your new contact centre employees want an energetic training session that appeals to their idealism, answers their questions and shows how their contribution makes a difference. Treat your Millennial employees with respect. They will reward you with their adaptability, computer savvy and yes, loyalty.
Copyright © 2016 Reflective Keynotes Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
About the Author:

Mike Aoki is the President of Reflective Keynotes Inc. (www.reflectivekeynotes.com ), a Canadian training company that helps contact centres improve their sales, customer service and coaching skills. He serves on the Advisory Council of GTACC (the Greater Toronto Area Contact Centre association www.gtacc.ca ) and was Master of Ceremonies for five of their annual conferences. He has been interviewed by the Customer Experience Show and the Globe and Mail. He was also chosen by ICMI.com as one of the “Top 50 Customer Service Thought Leaders on Twitter” for the past three years in a row.
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