USHA PADMASOLA wrote this article
pre-Covid. Little did she realize just how relevant her thoughts have
become in the current era, where most of our connection and communication
in the business world are via screens. How can we adopt her suggestions in
2021?
Recently over a breakfast meeting, en route to a business site, we held
some purposeful engaging talks with our 75-year-old negotiator. Needless
to say we were sold for his wisdom, business acumen and the warmth that
every bit of his personality exuded. Extending his firm handshake, he
invited us to visit the NGO he was running in Himachal Pradesh, and we
bought a lifetime of friendship.
As opposed to such rich invaluable human experience, a recent digital
engagement hit me hard. The fear of automation and machine-age gripped me.
This is what happened:
Since I had an issue, I dialed a toll free number of an outsourced
customer service center. As the automated voice walked me through the
15-minute route, I was made to feel like a 16-digit numeral by the end of
the call. I realized that the modern business houses were hitting an
all-time low on customer service and relationship building.
I wondered: Why doesn’t any company want to speak with their
customers?
No doubt technology on one hand has allowed us to be more efficient, more
productive and more profitable, but technology has also depleted the very
humane essence from humans and from the many important aspects of business
today. Today when I have a query and make a call to a business house, I
expect to speak with a live person and not with an automated digital
replica that is designed to maximize profits and minimize interaction.
I face the paradox of having to interact more with my plastic cards and
humans with iPod ear-buds. I am made to feel like a prisoner with a code,
I feel more like a numeral than a human. Where are all the humans and
where is the humaneness?
Business is not just about analytics, conversion rates and clicks
through, but it is about making a connection. The feeling of helping a
customer tackle a problem and presenting them with a solution is a very
palpable achievement. I wonder if I can put a laugh and empathy on an
Excel sheet and mark my business. Likes, tweets, shares, posts, upticks
and chats, although a few mouse clicks help us express ourselves faster,
it’s a fallacy to think that people are more connected than ever. The crux
of the matter is that people are connected
more to technology – smart phones, tablets, laptops and hardware – and
not to real people.
Real people build real, face-to-face, human-to-human relationships. Real
people smile at one another and interact. If we’ve forgotten what it’s
like to be real humans, let’s:
Use technology as an invertendo to aid us.
Network digitally to connect in a real way.
Get to know someone, earn a relationship, and their business.
Do it the old-fashioned way and make a connection that will last a
lifetime.
Real people express themselves through real emotions not emoticons.
Article by
USHA PADMASOLA
Illustrations by ARATI SHEDDE
