If, like me, you’re under 35 years old, then you’ve no doubt been called the “M word” — millennial. And you probably use WhatsApp to catch up with friends and Facebook to organise events. Your favourite companies are ones that let you sign up online. So, like me, there are probably three words that strike more resentment into your heart than any others: Please call us.

It’s ironic that I feel this way, considering I have over 10 years of experience in the contact centre industry. But, nevertheless, it’s still true. Notice, though, that call was one of the dreaded words — not contact. Like most millennials I have no issue contacting my service providers or any other company I deal with; I just don’t want to do it over the phone. Fortunately, I seldom have to these days.

My gym, a business run entirely by young millennials, doesn’t even have a phone number. Its employees communicate with members entirely over SMS and Messenger. If you need help booking a class, just hit them up on Facebook and get back to your day. When your phone beeps, staff members have sorted the issue. Booking my car in with my mechanic is just a text message. Some new products come with a QR code on the shelf; scanning it takes you to a bot in Messenger that tells you about the product and offers to connect you to a representative if you have more questions. Even my gas company texts me to let me know when my next bottle will be delivered.

The reality is, we’re all busy. Finding time to call my insurance company during business hours – the hours that I’m also working – is sometimes more trouble than it’s worth. But if I can send them a text message when I’m on the train home and receive a reply the next day before my first meeting, life just became a whole lot easier.

This is where tools like the Genesys Cloud™ platform come into play. Asynchronous messaging is available out of the box for SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter and LINE — with more to come. Unlike web chat, which is treated as a real-time interaction, messaging allows both the agent and the customer to drop in and out of the conversation at will — while keeping the message thread active. You can even preface any inbound message with a bot to provide authentication, triaging or to answer simple questions. And, because the Genesys Cloud platform handles the interactions, you have access to the same ACD routing options, recording, reporting, quality management and workforce planning that you do with all other channels.

More businesses are moving their conversations online and giving customers the opportunity to talk on their terms. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with just calling. Statistics make it clear that voice isn’t going away anytime soon. But businesses are looking for a way to differentiate, to stand out in the crowd and win over those new customers. Price wars and arguments about quality will get you so far. But when your biggest differentiator is convenience, your customers will pay attention. Embrace new methods of communication with Genesys Cloud, and let your customers be heard on their terms — everyday, in any way.