Here’s an interesting Gartner prediction — By 2025, 60% of customers will seek service in third-party sources of information not owned by the company. Quoting the press release:
Currently, younger customers already use third-party information sources more frequently than older consumers, suggesting that this trend will increase as their share of the total customer base grows.
66% of millennials and 56% of Gen Z customers reported using a third-party source before contacting official service channels, compared to just 25% of baby boomers who did so. The survey also found that 58% of younger customers (millennials and Gen Z) indicated they trust third-party information sources as much as company-provided information because they find the information easier to use or less biased.
“To resolve service issues, customers are increasingly turning to third-party sources of information, such as on YouTube or Reddit,” said Eric Keller, senior director, research in theGartner Customer Service & Support practice. “This will further complicate service journeys and erode the control service and support leaders have over experiences. However, this trend also brings opportunities to help customers access trustworthy, peer-to-peer support with limited investment from the company.”
Why do we care?
I had two reactions here.
First, third-party validation will remain a helpful value-add IT providers will bring to their customers. That seems solid.
The second is the generational divide. As the decision-making is done more and more by younger customers, they’ll be seeking this information in new places – many online. I’ve made my e-commerce case multiple times before and will layer on thinking about online education and content building. My data for my shows validates this – it’s younger than the typical demographic one might expect in the IT service space. So how is your organization positioned here?