New Genesys Report Unveils Generational Shifts in Customer Experience Preferences in ANZ

Genesys®, a global cloud leader in AI-powered experience orchestration, announced the release of a new research report, “Generational dynamics and the experience economy.” The report delves into the intricate dynamics of four distinct generations — Generation Z, millennials, Generation X and boomers — to help businesses understand the evolving preferences and needs of today’s consumers and workforce.

From varying attitudes toward AI adoption in the workplace, to differing expectations for customer service personalisation, to preferences for communication channels and brand values, the report’s findings emphasise the complexity for organisations to orchestrate experiences that meet diverse sets of needs effectively.

Key Australia & New Zealand Findings from the study include:

Great customer service means different things to different generations

• Gen X and boomers ranked ‘solves my problem or addresses my concern completely’ as the most important consideration when interacting with customer service (83%).
• In comparison, millennials care most about ‘clear and effective communication about their issue or concern during interactions’ (73%) and Gen Z want ‘clear and transparent policies and procedures’ (68%).
• Clarity and completeness matter across Generations. Businesses should ensure that customer service personnel understand how to orchestrate exceptional service, with clear, open communication throughout the customer journey.

Survey Reveals diverse customer preferences for service interactions but phone, email, and in-person remain top choices

• Based on preference for the type of customer service interactions, boomers care most about in-person (82%) followed closely by phone (80%).
• Gen X ranked phone, email and in-person as equally important (65%). Interestingly, phone shifts down in the rankings for millennials and Gen Z, who opted for in-person (60%) and email (67%) as their most preferred interaction styles.
• This does not discount the importance of other forms of interactions; for example, text/SMS was fairly consistent across generations, ranking between 36% at the lowest (boomers) and 51% at the highest (Gen Z).

Emerging customer service interactions build momentum among young people

• Webchat, mobile in-app/self-service chats, and SMS communications were revealed to be gaining favour among younger Gen Z and millennials, with roughly half (52%, 44% and 45% respectively) opting for those.
• This drops off significantly for ANZ boomers, especially compared to the rest of APAC, as they showed particular resistance to in-app chats (13% versus 19% in APAC) and messaging apps (11% versus 20% in APAC).
• Phone, email and in-person interactions remain foundational areas businesses need to get right when handling customer service interactions, regardless of generation. However, emerging types of communication may be more impactful for certain demographics.

Price and quality are universal, followed closely by brand reputation

• Price and quality ranked as the most important factors for every generation when they were considering purchasing a good or service. boomers were the most likely to cite price (86%) followed by millennials (85%), Gen X (81%) and Gen Z (78%).
• boomers were also most likely to cite quality as a top factor (84%) followed by Gen X (83%), millennials (80%) and Gen Z (78%).
• Brand reputation was an important factor for all generations, particularly Gen Z and millennials (67%).
• Interestingly, promotions and discounts were almost as important as price and quality for Gen Z (a close 75 %), indicating that brands can look to reach this audience through well-planned offers (assuming that the product remains of high quality).

Reputation still matters for prospective employees across generations

• Boomers and Gen X ranked employer reputation as their most important consideration (89%) when thinking about a prospective employer, with millennials and Gen Z also ranking it highly (79%).
• Millennials placed ‘opportunity to work autonomously and make key decisions related to my role’ and ‘has core values that align with my own’ as slightly more important than reputation (both tied at 83%).
• Compensation and benefits are not to be overlooked, as all generations ranked this factor highly: 77% Gen Z, 80% millennials, 84% Gen X and 91% boomers.
• To attract top talent, business leaders should consider focusing on the company’s public perception and ensure that compensation and benefits are market-competitive.

Boomers remain sceptical of AI, whereas most see opportunity

• Gen Z (23%), millennials (20%) and Gen X (22%) said AI would ‘replace some aspects of my job but create new opportunities’. [27]
• This is a stark comparison to just 7%  of boomers perceiving it this way, and 36 % stating it’ll have little or no impact. Despite this, the majority in each generation agree that it will not completely replace their job.
• While most see opportunities in AI adoption, older generations remain cautious. Employers should be cognisant of this when implementing new AI-driven processes and systems.

Mark Buckley, Vice President, Australia & New Zealand at Genesys, said: “Our latest research highlights the universal commonalities across generations, namely that price and quality matter significantly when it comes to customers’ purchasing decisions. It also reveals nuanced generational differences in customer experience preferences. Whether it’s addressing the desire for comprehensive problem-solving among Gen X and boomers, providing clear communication for millennials, or ensuring transparent policies for Gen Z, successful experience orchestration is key in delivering exceptional customer service across all age groups.”

In a time when remarkable experiences are expected — whether a large global enterprise or small, local business — the report underscores the transformative power of delivering on the unique expectations and perspectives of each generation to foster long-term loyalty and business growth.

To learn more about what’s driving today’s consumers and employees, read the full global report, “Generational dynamics and the experience economy” here.

Methodology

Genesys commissioned Savanta, Inc., to conduct a global survey of nearly 13,000 adults across five global regions and 21 countries, which was fielded during February and March 2024. The survey explored their expectations, perceptions and experiences as both consumers and employees. The above findings reflect insights from Australia and New Zealand respondents with a sample size of more than 700 consumers and 360 employees.

About Genesys

Genesys empowers more than 8,000 organisations in over 100 countries to improve loyalty and business outcomes by creating the best experiences for customers and employees. Through Genesys Cloud, the #1 AI-powered experience orchestration platform, Genesys delivers the future of CX to organisations of all sizes so they can provide empathetic, personalised experience at scale. As the trusted, all-in-one platform born in the cloud, Genesys Cloud accelerates growth for organisations by enabling them to differentiate with the right customer experience at the right time, while driving stronger workforce engagement, efficiency and operational improvements.

Media Contacts

Manali Pattnaik

Director APAC Communications, Genesys

manali.pattnaik@genesys.com

+65-8321 7924