How Technology Has Changed Me

 

With technology today, I can do all these things from my iPhone while lounging in my PJs:

 

·         Pay bills

·         Make a deposit to my checking account

·         Shop

·         Email

·         Text

·         Find a date

·         Check symptoms when I feel sick

·         Connect with old friends

·         Connect with co-workers & clients

·         Apply for a job

·         Connect with people across the globe

·         Go to school

How has this changed me?

·         I get frustrated with companies if I can’t easily pay my bill online. Very frustrated.

·         I have three checking accounts. Two of them offer mobile banking. The other is my Higher One account through SNHU. They don’t make it easy to do anything except receive a refund of student loan money, which is awesome - don't get me wrong, but I can't do anything else. Even though they advertise mobile banking, the SNHU Higher One account I have does not allow it. How can this be?

·         I haven’t been to a mall in years.

·         I avoid talking on the phone as much as possible and prefer texting.

·         I’m already married, so finding a date is not an issue. But if I wanted to find a date, I could also do that from my iPhone while lounging in my PJs (and not talking Ashley Madison here!)

·         Self-diagnosis is the first step to hypochondria or healing.

·         I have connected with friends from elementary school through college – and have friends on Facebook from most companies I have ever worked.

·         I am not currently looking for a job, but when I have, I get frustrated if I can’t apply online. The company I work for now does not offer online applications as an option and potential candidates must come to the castle. It really is Medieval Times. No, seriously.

·         I keep up with a friend named Dallas who lives in Australia via Facebook.

·         Going to school is a big one. With my work schedule, I would never have been able to finish my Master’s degree. I just hope the SNHU bus comes to see me.

Basically, anything that I can do online – I do. I am a baby boomer, wrapped in technology inside an enigma. I am spoiled to instant access. I believe that today’s customers are impacted by technology, not having patience to wait for something – and wanting that “something” NOW.

For companies in the age of digital technology and instant everything, customer service expectations are higher than ever before. Companies such as Amazon use technology to personalize the customer experience at every stage. Companies that don’t will soon be left behind. Customers expect companies to understand and anticipate their needs – and fulfill those needs as a matter of course. Paul Willmott of McKinsey & Company poses the question “what will it take to exceed our customers’ expectations in a digital world.” With competitors like Amazon and Apple whose customer experience sets the bar, he asks:

• “How does our customer experience compare with that of leaders in other sectors?
• What will our customers expect in the future, and what will it take to delight them?
• Do we have clear plans for how to meet or exceed their expectations?” (Willmott, 1996-2015, para. 8).

Because of people like me, companies have to respond – and quickly. According to Baer, (2008-2015), “24% of American internet users 12+ who have contacted a brand in social media, expect a reply within 30 minutes, regardless of when the contact was made.”

Sometimes I get frustrated with my customers because they will email or call after 5:00 p.m. on
Friday night. Because of technology, customers expect a response quickly – not understanding that I won’t be back in the office until Monday at 9:00 a.m. I get emails and voice mails from people who have called or emailed several times over the weekend – upset because they haven’t received a response yet, even though my voice mail and email clearly state my office hours.

Technology is a double-edged sword (not so medievally speaking). As a consumer, in the words of Tim McGraw, I like it, I love it, I want some more of it. Technology has given us so many tools to communicate quicker and more efficiently, but that same technology has created an ever higher customer expectation bar for us to reach.

  

References

Baer, J. (2008-2015). 42 percent of consumers complaining in social media expect 60 minute response time. Retrieved from http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-research/42-percent-of-consumers-complaining-in-social-media-expect-60-minute-response-time/

Willmott, P. (1996-2015). The do-or-die questions boards should ask about technology. Retrieved from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/the_do-or-die_questions_boards_should_ask_about_technology