With all the new technology and technological advances, many
people seem to believe that because it is newer, it must therefore be
better, or more enhanced. While that is true when it comes to certain
technologies, there are still certain examples when newer is not better.
Examples mostly include industries where technology and service are
either combined, or need to go hand in hand, such as telephone service, airline travel, banking and real estate services. While there certainly have been significant
technological advances in both of these circumstances, it can be argued
that the overall experience has not been improved significantly, if at
all.
1. Once upon a time, we had one telephone company which supplied our telephone equipment, maintained our internal and external wiring, and provided generally reliable service. Those classic black phones may not have been terribly stylish, but few of us even remember one of them not functioning. If we had any difficulty, we made one call to one company, and the problem was soon resolved. Today, land line telephone service is outnumbered by voice over internet services (VOIP), as well as by wireless/ cellular service. Our telephone equipment rarely lasts too many years, and it is next to impossible to find anyone to service it, and it is generally cost prohibitive to repair, so we simply purchase another telephone. It seems to me that there are far more dropped calls today, or some other static, interference, or trouble with our lines. Many people have abandoned land lines completely, depending entirely on their cell phone, but we all have experienced cell phone dead zones at one time or another. Relatively speaking, it is true that this competition and the enhancements has brought about lower pricing, but at what sacrifice. And, have you tried to get through to your telephone provider? How much of our time is wasted simply waiting to be connected with a real human being? With all the sophistications and enhancements, have you noticed better customer service, because I have certainly not?
2. In the latter part of the 1970's, the airline industry was deregulated, with the expressed intent of trying to provide more competition, and thus lower pricing for the consumer. While pricing was immediately lowered, have you flown recently? Spirit Air actually charges for carry on bags, while almost all domestic carriers have some sort of fee for checking bags. Meals on a domestic flight, forget about it! Legroom on most carriers is almost non existent. Customer service seems almost an anachronism! Most remarkedly, with all the technology, it actually takes longer on many routes today than it used to.
3. The banking industry offers far more conveniences in some ways, such as ATM's, digital banking apps, bill paying services, etc. But do most of feel we are being treated better, nor that we enjoy paying more fees, etc., than we ever did before.
4. At one time, real estate was a newspaper - mandated and influenced industry. That's where the ads were placed, and then we'd call our real estate agent, to see what we wanted. Today, the industry is predominantly web - centric, where people can see listings on numerous sites, etc. However, wouldn't the typical buyer be better served if these conveniences were used in synergy with truly personalized and professional advice, that tied together all the loose pieces, and assisted buyers throughout this often - confusing and stressful procedure and transaction?
While technological enhancements are nice, they are not always that essential. Yes, many smart phones have lots of applications, but many of those come at some cost, either for the app itself, the data used, the type of phone needed, etc. And, no matter what cell phone or computer or tablet you have today, chances are it will be either outmoded or run of the mill pretty soon! Let's celebrate technology, but put these advancements into perspective!
1. Once upon a time, we had one telephone company which supplied our telephone equipment, maintained our internal and external wiring, and provided generally reliable service. Those classic black phones may not have been terribly stylish, but few of us even remember one of them not functioning. If we had any difficulty, we made one call to one company, and the problem was soon resolved. Today, land line telephone service is outnumbered by voice over internet services (VOIP), as well as by wireless/ cellular service. Our telephone equipment rarely lasts too many years, and it is next to impossible to find anyone to service it, and it is generally cost prohibitive to repair, so we simply purchase another telephone. It seems to me that there are far more dropped calls today, or some other static, interference, or trouble with our lines. Many people have abandoned land lines completely, depending entirely on their cell phone, but we all have experienced cell phone dead zones at one time or another. Relatively speaking, it is true that this competition and the enhancements has brought about lower pricing, but at what sacrifice. And, have you tried to get through to your telephone provider? How much of our time is wasted simply waiting to be connected with a real human being? With all the sophistications and enhancements, have you noticed better customer service, because I have certainly not?
2. In the latter part of the 1970's, the airline industry was deregulated, with the expressed intent of trying to provide more competition, and thus lower pricing for the consumer. While pricing was immediately lowered, have you flown recently? Spirit Air actually charges for carry on bags, while almost all domestic carriers have some sort of fee for checking bags. Meals on a domestic flight, forget about it! Legroom on most carriers is almost non existent. Customer service seems almost an anachronism! Most remarkedly, with all the technology, it actually takes longer on many routes today than it used to.
3. The banking industry offers far more conveniences in some ways, such as ATM's, digital banking apps, bill paying services, etc. But do most of feel we are being treated better, nor that we enjoy paying more fees, etc., than we ever did before.
4. At one time, real estate was a newspaper - mandated and influenced industry. That's where the ads were placed, and then we'd call our real estate agent, to see what we wanted. Today, the industry is predominantly web - centric, where people can see listings on numerous sites, etc. However, wouldn't the typical buyer be better served if these conveniences were used in synergy with truly personalized and professional advice, that tied together all the loose pieces, and assisted buyers throughout this often - confusing and stressful procedure and transaction?
While technological enhancements are nice, they are not always that essential. Yes, many smart phones have lots of applications, but many of those come at some cost, either for the app itself, the data used, the type of phone needed, etc. And, no matter what cell phone or computer or tablet you have today, chances are it will be either outmoded or run of the mill pretty soon! Let's celebrate technology, but put these advancements into perspective!
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