One of the side effects of recent advances in communication technology is the diminished ability of Gen Y (21-34 years old) and Gen Z (12-20 years) to effectively communicate face to face with the Baby Boom generation.
Within the last 10 years I have found a distinct difference in the way the younger generations interact with their friends and family. The onslaught of technology has altered their communication skills.
Today, young people depend heavily on texting as a way of communicating. The time they spend communicating person to person has been significantly reduced from earlier generations.
Many people believe this shift has taken place because all of young people’s texting has reduced their need to be face to face.
As a result, this trend has created unique challenges for the retail business owner who employs young people.
Disappointed
It is getting harder to find young employees who are skilled at communicating face to face with theircustomers.
Is this wrong or right? Neither. But here’s the rub.
Just a few weeks ago I was making a purchase at a nationally known grocery store. I picked up a few items and decided to treat myself to real service – going through the checkout lane to have my order rung up by a live person, the cashier.
But quite frankly, I was a little disappointed.
Here’s why. After the young person rang up my purchase and I gave him the correct change, I thanked him. His response was: “No problem.”
Excuse me, I didn’t know my purchase was potentially classified as a problem. And by the way, what happened to the magic words, “you’re welcome?”
A few days later I was making a purchase at one of the retail stores known for selling everything for a dollar. This time the young clerk’s response after I thanked him was simply the word “yeah.”
Is it difficult for the clerk to consummate the sale by saying, “thank you?”
Lost Opportunities
Somewhere along the way, we have allowed our younger generations to not learn how to use simple business etiquette.
Whether you are a small business owner or a corporate president, if you – and all the rest of us – don’t teach our younger generations how to interact more effectively with those who are older than they are, we are passing up an excellent opportunity to build business relationships and our business profits.
Tom Borg is a business expert who works with small and mid-size companies that are having issues retaining customers. He is the author and producer of the customer service video training program for young employees aged 16-24 years titled Simple Strategies for Customer Service. To ask him a question, contact him at: 734.404.5909 or by email, or visit his website.
