Is the Phone Call Dying Out?
In 2014 we’re surrounded by phones. Have a look round right now; do you know exactly where your smartphone is? Is it in reach? Of course it is. 70% of US adults will have their smartphone in within arms reach most of the time.
Despite smartphones being within five feet of their owners for most of the day, people are no longer making phone calls. Instead, they prefer to text, email or IM. This trend is particularly evident among the younger generations.
Ofcom report to seeing a fall in the number of phone calls while texting and IMing has seeing considerable growth. Compared with ten years ago, everybody is using their cell phones a great deal more, however, they are no longer calling friends, families and co-workers.
Studies show that these trends are most prevalent among younger people who fall in to the Generation Y and Generation Z age groups. Ofcom’s report found that that web-based text forms were the most popular method of communicating among Gen-Y and that some respondents even preferred IMing and texting to face to face interaction. The investigation also discovered that Gen-X and Gen-Y are 20% more likely to message their loved ones rather than use their cell to call them.
There are many benefits to texting over phoning, namely it allows the user to multi-task. They can text more than one person at once and IM while they’re watching the television. Web-based text forms also allow the user to avoid potentially awkward conversations. While phone calls tend to demand that the caller has to take time out their busy schedule to devote to a phone conversation, IMing and texting allows people to communicate little and often.
So how does the majority of under- thirties favouring IMing and texting over calling effect business?
Younger people, tend to only have a landline in their home because that comes hand in hand with the internet. A survey taken in late 2012 reported that half of American homes don’t have or use their landline; this statistic is only expected to increase with smartphones becoming more affordable.
With phones becoming less commonplace in the home and younger people not using their cells to make voice calls, businesses are having to adapt to incorporate these new communication trends into the workplace. Adding web based communications into their customer service arsenal allows another way to connect with customers, particularly younger generations.
Naomi Tarry, director of Best of Suffolk a holiday rental company that specialises in Southwold Cottages explains ‘Live chat helps open us up to younger generations who are not as comfortable using the phone to call and ask questions’. In addition to Live Chat, businesses are also finding social media a fantastic way to keep in touch with their customer base.
As Generations Y and Z continue to avoid using the phone, demand and expectation of web based communications are only going to rise. Businesses that do not have any web based communications in place are possibly missing out on a whole demographic of potential customers. So make your business more accessible to younger generations and check your customer services email more, consider live chat and revamp your social media strategy. Remember, these people are only going to get older and their dislike for phone calls is unlikely to change…
Photo credit: courtesy of Melissa ‘t Hart – http://www.flickr.com/photos/blondbimbo/
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