So as todays world continues its path of evolution we are becoming more and more of a contactless society, in the immortal words of Bob Dylan, “The times they are a changing”
Here’s one, when was the last time you used cash?
How may times a day do you just point your phone at a machine and pay for anything from an apple to a new phone from apple.
Contact less is quick easy and more efficient?
I’m pretty sure taxi drivers don’t like it, I know restaurant staff don’t as a majority don’t allow you to add anything onto your bill, meaning good-bye tips for these and many other genres.
The cell phone is king it more or less rules our lives, where we are based here in Valencia the C’ort Ingles store runs weekday schooling sessions for elderly people to help them to underhand how to function with their phones and use them on a daily basis,
It is a brilliant initiative and also it has become essential to understand how these phones function as even ordering coffee and pastry you need your phone to read the menu, no more today’s special being recited at the table’s, contact less, the way of the world today.
However if you think about it, the phone was invented as a tool for verbal communication, today it has become the opposite, I am convinced their will be a phone available soon without a call or receive facility, in fact the sis the least used function of the many on each phone, they have become essential communication devices, but mainly for accessing social media channels.
We actually communicate via social media, just stop and consider this, on your last birthday
How many calls did you receive?
How many messages on social media?
I am betting the second was considerably higher.
Now try this,
When was the last time you physically called somebody to say happy birthday?
When was the last time you posted on FB a birthday message for somebody?
Again I’m guessing the second one is the higher usage.
Now for birthdays that’s one thing, but when did you actually last call and speak to anybody just to check they are OK, and I mean actually call and speak with them?
With mental health issues so prevalent, suicide on an ever spiralling increase, depression becoming more and more common place, when did you last pick up the phone and speak?
If and when your phone rings do you even answer it or do you divert to voice mail?
Nowadays we ease our conscience by using SM post’s. we feel we have done our bit, albeit a very little bit.
I actually posted a disturbing message (as a test) recently on Facebook, anybody who knows me would recognise straight away something was wrong with me.
I got 4 likes !! 2 sad faces, several messages saying R U ok? and 1 person said, “I will call you later”.
Later must be in the same family group as tomorrow as sadly it never came.
So has contact-less led to making it easy to simply care-less,?
Is the phone to blame for all and sundry or have we simply let some old school values slip?
At VOS we train owners and employees of companies alike, we train on caring, connecting and providing the best possible service internally and externally, this involves actual communication, not e-mails, what’s apps, FB message or IG posts.
It involves a skill set called talking.
Talking is rapidly becoming the forgotten art, how many times every day do we say “mail it to me” “can you what’s app it”? why not say, “that sounds good please tell me more” are we really that busy?
Has the personal touch, become, persona non grata?
At VOS we don’t think so, that why we train the way we do.
Communication is what the world has been built on, it’s what separates humankind from the animal kingdom, it is one of the greatest joys on the planet.
Conversation the sharing of views opinions about absolutely everything and anything.
How’s the communication in your company?
Do you engage with clients?
Do you engage with fellow team members, engage as in speak not message?
Check us out I’m sure we can help, or at least we can have a chat.
Kevin Wash