Younger Millennials and Zoomers loathe speaking on the phone. The stark shift in communication style from Gen X to Millennials to Gen Z even earned the latter the nickname “Generation Mute.” When polled about this, most millennials replied that speaking on the phone is too slow, too outdated, and unlikely to resolve their problem satisfactorily.
Millennials and Gen Z aren’t the only generations eschewing phone calls. Research shows that eight out of every ten adult Americans don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. Surprisingly, although younger generations dislike phone calls more than preceding ones, they’re more likely to pick up calls from unknown numbers than older generations. Fortunately, two-thirds of American adults will check voicemails left by unidentified callers. However, insurance providers placing these calls are wasting time and failing to reach customers on their preferred communication platform.
The following are several statistics that highlight why business text messaging is a worthwhile investment:
- Texting is the top-ranked communication channel for Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.
- Text messages have a 98% open rate and up to a 45% response rate, whereas emails average around a 20% open rate and 10% response rate.
- Most people take 90 minutes to reply to an email, whereas it only takes them around 90 seconds to answer a text.
- 85% of people prefer messaging platforms, including texting, messaging apps, and social media messaging, over emails or phone calls.
- 74% of customers report that texting improves their opinion of businesses that engage them this way.
- 68% of customers prefer to message businesses than to use any other form of communication.
- Customer support tickets submitted via text increased by 28% between 2020 and 2021
First notice of loss (FNOL) sets the stage for the customer’s overall satisfaction with the claims process. Reporting a loss is often a distressing and stressful experience, and customers have an exceedingly low threshold for frustration during this period. Offering text and chat services allows customers to initiate FNOL quickly on their preferred communication channel. Contact Actec to learn more about implementing text and chat FNOL.