Computer less part 2

After a few web less days it dawned on me! Wow what a difference the unlinked world is. I can really empathize with my unlinked mother and the hundreds of thousands of other consumers like her. Trying to get an answer from a real customer service agent these days is a real chore.

These responses made me think about the Web and the million plus sites that we users have the pleasure to search. Many of the web sites are designed by technical geniuses and what may seem fairly obvious to these folks does not transfer over to the end users, namely you and me.

How many times have you visited a web site and been frustrated by the inability to locate basic information? Why in the world do designers go to such great links to bury information like telephone contact numbers and mailing addresses deep in the site? How many clicks does it take to find out what the product really costs? Are these sites or a memorial to the people that design and maintain them or really an easy to use product distribution tool?

In today’s business climate companies that can blend technology with live personal service should clean up and some are starting too. And I believe that we will continue to a see a migration towards customer focused business. Customer service that had been outsourced to another continent is now being returned to America shores. Telephone lines with a real person at the other have been added. Many companies are remaking their business model to a person oriented firm supported with technology instead of massive technology supported by an occasional warm body that developed in the last few decades.