Lithium Technologies and SSPA Research Shows Generational Differences Drive Requirements for Web 2.0 Support
- March 3, 2008
- EMERYVILLE, Calif. - March 3, 2008 – Lithium Technologies and the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) announced the release of How Generational Differences Are Driving Requirements for New Support Channels, a white paper that documents generational differences in customer support attitudes and expectations. The findings suggest that enterprises seeking to provide superior service and support across generations need to adopt Web 2.0 technology and make communities a key service strategy.
The research uncovered that over half of Baby Boomers and seniors prefer to obtain product support from manufacturers, while younger generations between the ages of 13-29 (also known as the New Silent Generation, or NSG) prefer to learn from peers. The survey also showed that while phone support is preferred by seniors (55%), only 23% of the NSG choose this method.
“This represents a fundamental shift in how enterprises support their customers,” said Lyle Fong, president and CEO of Lithium Technologies. “Younger generations are growing up with Web 2.0 technology and instant access to information from their peers. Their expectations for support go beyond the customer service hotline. As a result, customer communities are becoming increasingly popular as a support channel.”
“Although younger generations are often considered impatient, our research shows that all generations have a shorter attention span when getting answers to their support questions,” said J.B. Wood, president and CEO of SSPA. “Companies seeking to provide excellent service and support across generations should embrace Web 2.0 technology and make customer communities a key service strategy.”
The report can be downloaded at http://www.lithium.com/company/whitepaper/ or www.thesspa.com.
About Lithium Technologies
Lithium Technologies provides market-leading solutions for building successful online communities. Lithium’s on-demand platform enables clients to increase brand loyalty, sales, and customer satisfaction while decreasing customer care costs. Lithium’s solutions have been implemented by many of the world’s largest organizations, including Dell, AT&T, Comcast, Sprint, DoubleClick, and Real Networks. For more information, visit www.lithium.com.
About SSPA
The Service & Support Professionals Association is a key resource for the information and best practices needed to make better business decisions. It brings together the best minds from across the industry spectrum—from established companies with successful track records to the pioneering newcomers with out-of-the-box ideas. For more information, visit www.thesspa.com.
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