As the Millennial generation has become the dominant demographic in today’s workforce businesses are being forced to adapt to new standards for business practices and etiquette. One of the major changes we have seen in the service industry is a strong shift away from voice communication and an uptick in email and text communication.
Are Phone Calls A Thing Of The Past?
Not Completely. For quick and reliable business communication phone calls will always be the preferred method of communication for some people; however, for the younger generations it seems that text messaging can be just as quick and still communicate all pertinent information.
These days almost everyone has a cell phone on their person or close by at all times. At this point most of those phones allow for the immediate sending and receipt of photos, videos, and documents, allowing for quick business transactions. There is the potential for nearly all business to be conducted without any voice communication.
Are Text Messages Too Informal?
We don’t think so. There has been a long-held stigma that text message communication is too informal for a business environment. That thought process seems to be changing. A recent study found that 135,477 businesses, including Pure Solutions, use a text-based application called SLACK to conduct their inter-office communication.
With text-based communication not only can people communicate while they are at work, but also while they are at home or not in the office. A quick text message is generally deemed non-intrusive even outside of normal work hours.
Catering To Younger Generations
Many Millennials simply hate talking on the phone. But why? Many studies have concluded that Millennials are a more anxious generation. This anxiety may be playing a role in why text based communication is becoming preferred.
Text Messages and Emails give people the ability to think through their thoughts before communicating them with someone else. In a world where words and thoughts are being shared and critically analyzed at an ever faster rate many people feel it is uncomfortable to be “Put-On-The-Spot”.
Pure Solutions Is Adapting
How do we provide our clients the best service with the least disruption to their normal daily lives?
That is a question we ask ourselves a lot as a company. In 2019 we are implementing a major shift in our client communication. What used to be a morning phone call notifying our clients of scheduled services is now becoming a morning text message for most clients. People are busy in the morning and the last thing many people want is to have to answer the phone as they are getting ready for work, getting the kids out the door, sleeping, etc.
With a simple text message we can convey the same information in a less intrusive form. Most of the time our morning communication warrants no response from the client, so what used to be a mandatory two-way communication can now often be limited to one-way.
Text messaging has also been implemented into our sales process. After sending a potential client a service quote they now have the option to text message any questions they have about the service offerings from directly within the quote. Rather than having to remember to call during office hours, questions and comments can now be conveyed at any time of day with an often-times quicker response.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” —Henry Ford