Introducing New Tech

Establishing contact with new consumers and generating more business for a company is usually it’s lifeblood. A company’s success is directly impacted by how well employees can establish, nurture, and sustain meaning relationships with clientele. While there are may things that could hinder this from happening, one of the most applicable occurrences is when you must introduce a new kind of technology to your client. In the majority of cases where a client is attempting to adopt newer technological advances the first encounter is the most important. On the basis of the first encounter with the new technology, a client can usually tell is they will either adopt it or resist it. That is why when preparing a technology for a client a company should invest heavily in this opening encounter. With only one chance to make a first impression, detailed planning should be a prerequisite for introducing new technology to clients. The author’s give us ways to make this experience as easy going as possible. We are first warned to engage where the users are coming from. Take into account what the user values in their job from a day to day basis or how they genuinely feel about the technology being presented to them. This enables you to understand the party being affecting by the advancement in technology.

Our author’s will tell us that trends for introducing new technology can point us in the direction of why we run into some barriers during the first encounter. Many times the IT department is so focused on the logistical nightmare during company-wide introduction that there is not enough applied focus on the consumer/client experience. IT staff would often rather dwell on the functionality and technical details of the technology instead of worrying about the client’s feelings toward the technology. An article from the Harvard Business Review encourages companies the allow each technology to be assigned to an implementation manager. An implementation manager takes the perspectives of both the developer and the user into account when reviewing the technology as a whole. Someone from an intermediary perspective should be able to provide insight on how variables can be altered in the production stage and the introduction stage in order to make the introduction of the new technology successful.

While I’ve never had to teach any clients a new company website interface or my coworkers how to utilize Microsoft Word, that doesn’t mean I haven’t experienced some of the same drawbacks. In today’s age of rapid technological innovation we have all had to attempt to advance an old timer into the realm of the smartphone. Needless to say you encounter a group of people that have been bred to resist this type of user interface.  The first encounter for teaching them how to operate one is astonishing. When I’ve had to teach a cell phone to an elderly person I experienced almost instantaneous resistance because it goes against the grain of what their used to. But once they comprehend how efficient they can be with one, they begin to take with it. Something that I’ve noticed that helped me combat resisters to technology is painting a theoretical picture for them. This helps the person visualize them using the technology properly and being better off for it.

In conclusion, I feel like this chapter is directly correlated to the previous one. I feel that if you invest yourself enough into the relationship your building with the client, then introducing something new to them will be look like a suggestion from a friend. Building trust with your employees and clients will ease some tension that introducing new technology stirs up.