There’s a distinct modus operandi when it comes to preferred communication choices among Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials. Ken VandenHaute, vice president of sales for Cleveland-based Meritech, framed each segment in a manner which rings true.
“The older generation is all about ‘Come talk to me,’” he observed. “The (Generation Xers) want to use email. But Millennials are about social media and texting, they don’t interact face to face as much. So the influence they have on how new hardware is manufactured is, how do we get the machines to do the same thing?”
Ken VandenHaute,
Meritech
While the Millennial generation, as a whole, is in the early stages of its professional career, the technologies it has grown up with are destined to play a role in not only communications but the tools they use to interact with coworkers and customers. VandenHaute feels the wave of personal assistant technologies in the home, such as Amazon’s Alexa, that operate through voice commands, will invariably influence the manner in which hardware is designed.
“Millennials will force technology to grow and evolve,” he noted. “It’s hard to say where it can go, but if you can do it from your phone, you’re going to see business technology going the same way.”
So what do Millennials think about the manner in which hardware is being manufactured? We solicited the opinion of a Millennial sales rep, Jake Weber of Houston’s Stargel Office Solutions, who believes his generation has wielded influence on several fronts.
- Several studies have shown that Millennials care more about appearance than prior generations. Having a modern and appealing office environment to attract young talent is more important than ever, Weber maintains.
- Technology upgrades. A number of recently-launched product lines feature distinct changes with user interfaces and wireless printing capabilities. Modern MFP interfaces are being designed to provide the customer with an app-based feel to the copier, similar to smart phones, tablets and other products.
“We are also starting to see Bluetooth/mobile printing capabilities come standard,” Weber added. “This allows Millennial employees the opportunity to work remotely and connect to the MFP from their wireless device.”
Andy Slawetsky,
Industry Analysts
Some would argue that the changes we see in hardware design and manufacture are a function of technological advances as opposed to catering to a specific demographic. Andy Slawetsky, president and owner of Industry Analysts and a Gen Xer who has his finger on the pulse of office technology advancements, believes the smartphone proliferation and affordability of displays are driving many of the enhancements we’ve seen in the past few years.
“Look at the cost of getting a working TV in your house. You can pay as little as $100 and it has a receiver in it,” he said. “We’re only talking a 9- to 10-inch screen (for MFP UIs) and smaller in some cases. The cost of the screen has come down considerably while the capabilities have improved. Everybody looks at the iPhone and says, ‘I want my product to be that.’ That’s driving the push to customize and make the coolest thing as far as the user interface goes.”
While Slawetsky doesn’t see an R&D shift to cater toward Millennials, he does anticipate changes in marketing to target them as products move forward.
