In today’s culture, business is becoming highly technical. Brick and mortar companies as well as internet businesses are leading towards technology being responsible for more and more facets of companies. Brick and mortar companies are using kiosks to increase efficiency in ordering and purchasing items. Online companies have made it so people don’t even have to leave their house to shop, they can simply click a few buttons and whatever they ordered will show up on their doorstep.
While all of this increases efficiency, it takes the place of human interactions and makes it seem like those interactions never had value in the first place. Because technology is such an integral part of our lives, we tend to think that those human interactions weren’t important at all. However they are. This is something that Forbes has covered in an article titled “The Top 10 Business Trends of 2018”. According to Forbes, “Top companies realize that building great communities engenders long-term brand loyalty…Nothing drives strong communities better than in-person and live interactions.”
This was something that I found to be very interesting and encouraging. Technology serves a very important purpose, but you cannot replace human interaction with it. Technology can create a relationship with a customer, but that relationship cannot grow. Human interaction can create stronger relationships faster, which can allow a business to grow through brand-loyalty. It all comes down to customer service. Customer service is key in all forms of business. This is something that technology will never be able to replace.This is the balance that businesses have to find. Incorporating technology is important, but so are live interactions.
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Of course, human interaction isn’t always necessary for all types of purchases. We don’t need salesmen to convince us to buy a candy bar. However, as a purchase gets larger and more complex, such as a computer or a car, having someone available to explain the product and answer questions is extremely valuable, and it is also quite nice to have some sort of customer service personnel who can answer questions about smaller things if necessary.
I agree completely with human interaction still being very important. This is important for retailers to learn. Places like Wegman’s succeed because of their attention to their employees and customer service. They realize how important it is to treat customers face to face because it’ll keep them coming back.
Human interaction is definitely important for the longevity of any relationship. When looking to interact with our customers I would say it’s always important to interact in a way that represents who you are and who you want to be to your customer. There are many different ways in which someone can interact, and I would say it’s all contingent upon your product or service.