A Startup Guy

Here’s a funny irony. I believe technology is forcing businesses to come full circle with regards to service and interaction with the customer. Way back when, the way to address prospects and customers was generally on a one-to-one basis. You had to interact with people individually to sell them your products and then again for any follow-up customer service. Technological revolutions began changing that system so that we could address more people at a time. Newspapers would let you tell groups of readers about your products through ads. Then radio let you address larger audiences, then TV came along and you could reach millions. Cable TV let you reach audiences internationally and e-mail and the Internet let you do for pennies what used to cost dollars. Automated phone systems let you receive and route the increasing number of incoming calls without having to hire a bank of receptionists. Fax blasts and e-mail newsletters let you address tons of people at the press of a few buttons. Amazing!

But something has happened. These same technological wonders have enabled massive fracturing of your audience. No longer can you run your TV ad during the CBS News and reach 10s of millions of viewers. TV networks are ecstatic to pull in 6-8 million viewers now. More than a third of US households with a TV have digital cable, meaning they have hundreds of channels to choose from. You’ve got to be selective about where your ad dollars go to gain the most effect.

Fax blasts? They just end up in the trash. E-mail newsletters? Gone are the days when you could just add filler materials around your ads. You have to invest in time (and people) to really put together good information or readers will simply delete or unsubscribe you. That takes more team members.

Automated phone systems have become so convoluted and frustrating that many companies are abandoning them and going back to good old human receptionists to answer the phones. The Internet may draw in lots of visitors to your website, but these days, they expect personal treatment when you respond to them. And online social media services like Twiiter are all the rage in reaching out to customers, but they also require a highly personalized interaction.

So, it seems we’ve gone from one-to-one interactions through one-to-many (broadcast) and now we’re heading back to more one-to-one interactions. Have you noticed the same thing?

Oh, yeah, one more quick question. Are you interacting personally with your customers or are you just pushing information to the masses in hopes of making a connection?

Bonus: Here’s a link to David Armano’s post which got me thinking about this. Thanks, David. If you don’t read his blog, start now.