High tech has a different meaning nowadays. You use almost any kind of technology in your business from ATMs by the banks to online credit card acceptance.
High touch means there must be a person available wherever you use technology. You can either be that person yourself or have a virtual assistant do it for you.
Here’s an example. Recently, I called a company to get more information AND I had money to spend. Their phone was answered by technology (machines) and no matter what I did it wasn’t possible to speak with a real person. They didn’t even call me back. They did two things wrong!
The owners of this company probably thought they were saving money and making life easier for some employees. They did neither. They won’t have at least one new client and word will get around that you can’t speak to someone there.
Here are 5 things to remember AND do!
1. Make it easy to do business with you. If you are using technology to answer your phones, good for you. Just have either a way for people to talk to someone in person or leave a message .
2. Say what your policy is for how you answer messages. It may be within 1 hour or in 2 or 3 hours. Then have someone do it. Say exactly what you mean and mean what you say.
3. Have the person who speaks “love” their work. Have you ever been somewhere and the person at the checkout is surly? You say to yourself, “This person is doing the wrong job.” Be sure you have the “right” person on the phone.
4. Whatever you use, be it computers, voice mail or sales or music when the listener is on hold, you must have a cheerful person doing the work. It shows. We can all see it.
5. Have a phone number people can call if you do things automatically like paying online. Not everyone likes this, so have an option for them.
Remember that the more we use technology to save us time or money, the more our clients will expect a friendly, real person along the way. I know from experience having been around technology for 30 years!
