⚡ Get All Content for 20% Off ⚡

When Your Employees Are Millennials and Your Customers Are Boomers It's important to teach young employees how to provide the kind of service that boomer generation customers need and want.

By Tom Borg

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Within the last 10 years, I have found a distinct difference in the way that younger generations interact with their friends and family. With the onslaught of technology, communication skills have shifted. For instance, young people today heavily depend on texting as a way of communicating. And the time spent communicating person-to-person has been drastically reduced.

As a result, this trend has created unique challenges for small business owners who employ millennials. Although there are many well-mannered and service-minded young people in the work force today, it is getting harder and harder to find young employees who are skilled at communicating face-to-face or over the telephone with customers -- particularly customers in the boomer generation.

People want to be treated with respect; they want to feel important. Abraham Maslow, author of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, taught us that. So, the question becomes, how do you get your employees to treat your customers in a way that builds lifelong clients.

Related: 5 'Bad' Millennial Traits That Are Actually Good for Entrepreneurs

A good idea might be to have them stop using the Golden Rule, which states, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' A better approach might be to do what Dr. Tony Alessandra suggests -- that is, to substitute the Golden Rule with the Platinum Rule. The Platinum Rule simply states, "Treat others the way they want to be treated.'

While this rule works for every generation, when it comes to serving boomers, truer words were never spoken.

First, it is critical to hire young employees who already know how to interact with boomer customers. Additionally, it's important to teach young employees how to provide the kind of service that boomer generation customers need and want. At the risk of driving away hard-earned customers, you can't afford to keep millennial employees (or any employees) who don't understand this basic business concept.

Related: 5 Predictions for the Senior and Boomer Market

Tom Borg

President of Tom Borg Consulting

Tom Borg is a business expert who works with small and mid-size companies to profitably improve customer acquisition and retention and employee performance. He does this through his consulting, speaking, and professional writing. For more information on how he can help you and your company call   (734) 404-5909 or email him at: tom@tomborg.com or visit his website at: www.@tomborgconsulting.com

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Leadership

Former Interrogator Shares 5 Behaviors Liars Exhibit and How to Handle Them

Five deceptive behaviors to look for and how to respond to those behaviors when you encounter them.

Business News

AI Is Impacting Jobs. Here Are the Gigs Affected the Most, According to an Analysis of 5 Million Upwork Postings

The researcher said in the report that freelance jobs were analyzed first because that market will likely see AI's immediate impact.

Marketing

Ever Wonder Why Certain Websites Rank Higher Than Yours? This SEO Expert Reveals The Secret to Dominating Search Results

It's often the smart use of SEO, now supercharged with AI, particularly in keyword optimization.

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.