Millennials have become the catalyst for the accelerated growth and development of disruptive technologies in the workplace. A study conducted by IBM stated that 50% of the workforce will be made up of Millennials, also known as Generation Y, by 2020. As a millennial myself, educated in a technology fluent society and raised in a digital world, I become intrigued when companies adopt technological innovations that will fundamentally help improve their business as well as their customer experience.

We want everything that surrounds our company’s to be digital, easily accessible, and visually appealing. Although it may seem risky, we like disruptive ideas that differentiate us. We’re less compelled to be risk adverse and more inclined to be early adopters.

As a marketing professional, I watch my sales counterparts use interactive applications to navigate through complex selling environments. Everything my generation desires needs to be right at our fingertips, on our mobile devices. The very realistic and interactive nature of these digital selling experiences appeal to our tech savvy nature, allowing us to engage with products/solutions in a very intimate and personal way. No longer do we need to read boring fact sheets to learn all the specifics about the products, as interactive 3D product tours (which look and behave just like the actual products) allow users to engage with the product and experience unique features and functions via animations, in a way that truly transfers knowledge and communicates the products ‘value’.

According to Forbes, 74% of non-millennials agree that millennials offer different skills and work styles that add value and improve business in the workplace. Now go back 10-15 years and ask those non-millennials how they used to sell extensive product lines with difficult complex features? They would probably refer to product spec sheets or carry around sales kits filled with generic information they hoped could answer any buyers’ inquiry. No generation before has had as much access to technology or the infrastructure we, millennials, have today. We can tailor a pitch to the specific audience in which we are speaking to because of the interactive nature of the new sales and marketing applications available.

Gartner conducted a study that showed that 57% of the B2B buying cycle is completed before a customer even interacts with a sales representative. This digital dependent generation wants interactions that rely less on face time and more on creating their own emotional connection via interactivity and engagement. A recent study revealed that product knowledge retention increases by 75% when prospects can drive their own sales experience. That’s why it is more important now than ever, for companies to create cost effective user driven digital applications that are appealing to Gen Y as both employees and consumers.

The final most efficient and innovative way for companies to appeal to the millennial generation is to utilize an enterprise application that allows for content management and social sharing. Many places of employment are now ‘BYOD’ companies, which means ‘bring your own device,’ and while millennials wholeheartedly embrace the fad, we also have our own personal (non-work) applications on our mobile devices. BYOD is attractive to us, millennials, because often times we feel that the corporate-issued devices and apps are outdated and don’t play to our strengths. This younger generation also expects applications to work seamlessly on a full range of devices and platforms without compromise. Therefore, companies with a digital mindset must attract and retain these millennials with responsive, user-friendly applications that can be managed on their own devices.

The key takeaway is that we, millennials, passionately embrace new technologies and ideas that will help improve inclusion and engagement. We are extremely dedicated to our jobs and want to be just as productive outside the office. What companies need to do is to provide us with interactive applications that appeal to our tech-savvy ‘hands-on’ nature that keep us informed and engaged. It’s time reach the Gen Y prospects of tomorrow!

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