Businesses need to adapt to changing demographics, according to Kelly McDonald, pictured above.

“You can’t serve your community if you don’t know who your community is or what it looks like,” said McDonald. “We’re not a melting pot and we’re never going to be a melting pot again. We’re now a salad bowl.

“The U.S. Census is a gift. There’s a lot of information there to help you understand your business and your community, as well as give you a snapshot of where we’re going,” she added.

Diversity, she said, is one of the most important trends businesses need to recognize.

The probability that two people chosen at random would be of a different race and ethnicity on a 0-100 scale has increased. In 1980 that probability was 34 percent; in 2009 it was 52 percent. “Today it is statistically more likely that two people selected at random are going to be of two different races and that’s huge,” said McDonald.

“Across every single major market in the U.S. the majority of the child population is non-white,” she continued, further noting that by 2041, white would be the minority race.

More of these minorities, in addition to youths, are making the shift from rural to urban regions.

“Three out of four people in the U.S. live in urban counties,” said McDonald. “In 2000, 17.3 percent lived in rural counties. By 2010, that dropped to 16.4 percent.”

The rural Midwest lost the most as agricultural jobs become more mechanized. Overall, though, the rural white population is declining everywhere; the rural black and Hispanic populations are increasing.

“Historically, most of us when we’ve thought about diversity, we’ve thought about that being in urban areas. Even our rural areas are more diverse than we ever realized,” she said.

This migration to urban areas is a major movement affecting rural areas as youths flock to cities and leave their rural hometowns with an aging population. McDonald referred to the trend as “bright flight,” or the relocation of the educated youths to metro areas.

“In these small communities, they’re losing their talent for the future … At some point it gets hard to sustain a town,” she said.

Another major trend is the movement of minorities and non-traditional families to suburban areas.

“The suburbs across the country still happen to be majority white, however, what has happened for the first time is a majority of racial and ethnic groups in large metro areas live outside the city,” McDonald said.

She also noted that people living alone are the fastest-growing group in the suburbs with the second fastest-growing group being non-married couples and families.

Non-traditional families also reflect the fifth most important cultural movement, which is a shift to marrying later in life for many members of Generation Y.

“Married 25-34 year olds has dropped from 55 percent to 45 percent in 2010,” McDonald said. “That is the lowest level of that age group that is married since 1862.”

Factors for this trend include a youth population which prefers to focus on personal goals such as college and career, as well as dealing with a much higher age of maturation and a sense of not being “economically ready.”

Just what does this mean for businesses? For starters, companies can expect to see more minorities and women as customers, which shifts the basic sales models. For instance, according to McDonald, women feel more in control when they can see and weigh all potential buying options, which is why a woman will try on every shirt she thinks she may want before buying. Men, on the other hand, become overwhelmed by a mass of choices and prefer to have a narrow selection; three tends to be the magic number to aid in decision making.

When selling to women, companies should lay out all options. It may appear time-consuming but will ultimately please the female consumer who is far more likely to express her satisfaction, or much more audibly her dissatisfaction, with customer service. Men, however, would be better served viewing the top three most popular packages or three personalized options, fitting the good, better, best model.

As minorities enter the market, having an employee who is bilingual, in addition to possessing the excellent customer service and trade experience necessary, is invaluable. People want to interact with people like themselves; offer a sales rep who seems like them and word of mouth will bring a diverse body of consumers over time.

Other changes business owners need to note are a shift toward Generation Y members desiring a more progressive workplace including flexible schedules and telecommuting options, as well as consumers seeking eco-conscious, minority-friendly businesses. This generation is driven by the fear of missing out, or the FOMO phenomenon, which is so strong Amtrak credits the youth need for frequent connectivity to saving the nearly extinct rail line; youths preferred to take the train because they didn’t have to turn off their phones and were also offered Wi-Fi.

McDonald closed by noting that consumers are changing and, therefore, business and selling strategies need to change. Companies must keep up with the ever-changing cultural movements in the no-longer-homogenized American society.

McDonald opened her session by sharing, “I’m really passionate about customer service because … although you can’t control the economy, you can’t control the stock market … the one thing that is in your control is the customer service experience.” That experience can be improved by everyone, she said, because we all have a customer, whether that person is your boss, the team you work for or the consumers walking into your shop.

McDonald also pointed to the common thought that “customer service is dead” and pointed out that really it’s just “suffering,” as technology makes it easier to live in isolation. “We’re losing our ability to be polite and courteous with one another,” she commented.

In truth, though, the customer service landscape has simply changed. Customers no long just want to speak to a customer service representative (CSR) who is simply polite and responsive-they are seeking speed, efficiency, accuracy and personal attention as well. “The customer service bar continues to be raised higher and higher,” McDonald said.

McDonald went on to highlight six key reasons why customer service matters: it makes a business more stable, it helps to grows business, it makes businesses more profitable, healthier and happier, and it helps to better brand a business.

Among the tips she offered for improving your customer service, McDonald advised that managers frequently check in with their CSRs and technicians, the people who are on the frontline interfacing with customers, to ask about the positive and negative comments they overhear about what the customer really wants. She also advised hiring those employees who show signs of outstanding service, since on-the-job training can provide skills specific to the job. You need to be selective and hire the people who match and believe in your company’s vision, she advised, adding, “I find the people who are the right kind of people and figure that I can teach them the job.”

In the end, excellent customer service is necessary, McDonald said, because “study after study shows that people will pay for better customer service.” She added, “Other people do what you do, probably pretty well, too, so the one thing that can really differentiate you … is customer service.”

Following McDonald’s presentation, Monika Baraket, an online marketing strategist with Forge3, looked at growing and maintaining a customer base through a session on “Using Digital Avenues to Market Your Business.”

She began by explaining, “The bad news is that technology is confusing, and you guys don’t really have a lot of time, you’re busy running your business. … The good news is that business hasn’t really changed, the tools that you’re using have changed.”

Baraket noted that today’s consumer is “already empowered with a lot of information before they even walk through your door or pick up the phone.” Using digital avenues such as social media can help those tech-savvy consumers to connect with your business as a resource. She advised that auto glass shops considering jumping into social media first pick one platform, such as Facebook or Twitter, and observe what works and what doesn’t. However, she cautioned, “Having a presence to just to have it can hurt you more than not being on these social media platforms.”

Baraket also added that a social media strategy should be just one piece of a marketing plan, and should tie into the strategy you have already in place. In deciding what platform to use, she suggested contacting customers with a brief survey to first see where they are and what their needs might be. The biggest suggestion, however, was to focus on outlining strong content.

Baraket suggested thinking outside the box, providing information not just about repairing windshield chips or replacement information, but also information about glass cleaning or fun photos of things seen on the job or even a joke of the day that might draw readers into continuously checking your site and staying connected to your community.

Baraket finished by explaining that social media has slow but powerful growth, and encouraged her audience to be patient as they connected to their audience through these new tools.

”Everyone sees the changes around them, but they don’t know what they need to do to change their businesses to adapt to the changes,” says McDonald. “You can look around and see that young people are constantly using their phones but they’re not talking on them. Changes like these make you ask, ‘What do I need to do from a business standpoint? How do I stay profitable and competitive?’”