Loantek, a Bankrate company, is encouraging its loan officers to stop calling Millennials and start texting them. I couldn’t agree more.
Loantek’s blog talks about Millennials, 18 to 34 years olds, being the texting generation. The blog claims a 2015 poll by RealityMine says Millennials attribute a third of their mobile use to texting.
In fact, a Gallup poll from 2014 showed that texting is the most frequently used form of communication for Americans under 50, according to the blog.
My husband, whom I love but was definitely born in the wrong generation, tried to call someone about repairing our car, but wasn’t able to get in contact with him. My reply?
"Well, why are you calling him? Send him a text."
For Millennials, it’s the most natural form of communication. It’s least likely to interrupt our work schedules, and we will probably even answer sooner than if the loan officer were to call or email.
Millennials are now the largest living generation, and could soon become the largest home buying generation. As the blog points out, originators should learn to adapt to their communication preferences. If you don’t, someone else will.
Need further proof that texting is better than calling? Check out some of these stats from the blog:
According to research released by Open Market in June 2016, 75 percent of about 500 millennials polled could live without the call function on their device as long as they were still able to text. Seventy-six percent prefer texting to talking, because it is convenient and fits with their schedules better. Sixty-three percent responded that texting is less disruptive to their daily lives than voice calling. And a startling 19 percent never check voicemail.
An article in the May edition of HousingWire’s magazine talks about how Millennials are already driving lenders to a new digital age with a streamlined and simplified mortgage process. Texting is just be the next step in the process.
Still not convinced? The solution is simple. Ask them. As Millennials are filling out their mortgage application (probably online), you may be surprised how many would gratefully select “texting” as their preferred method of communication.
