I wrestle with this question daily. Not because I want to, but because I have to.
In my business, I deal with both the helpful and hurtful sides of smartphones every single day. In other words, I have an answer to the question at hand, but for now, I’ll keep it to myself.
Whenever I get the opportunity to listen to an educated individual rather than myself, I usually choose the former. Whether I end up agreeing is not the point.
I never want to stop thinking.
So I asked David Alexander, assistant professor of marketing at the University of St. Thomas Opus School of Business:
Do you think smartphones are helping business owners to better serve customers, or are they causing customers to have higher expectations than what is reasonable?
Alexander’s answer lands somewhere in the middle.
Smartphones can help businesses serve customers better. Apps, social media and other mobile tools can make service more personal and give companies another way to distinguish themselves from competitors.
But the same technology can also raise expectations.
Alexander argues that much depends on how well customers understand the technology a company is using. Customers who know what the technology can and cannot realistically do may have more reasonable expectations. Others may assume a new app or mobile service should instantly do far more than a business can actually deliver.
For businesses, that means the question is not simply whether to use smartphone technology. It is also how much to promise and how quickly to introduce new services.
Read David Alexander’s full response at the Star Tribune.
His answer makes sense to me, even if it is a little safer than the answer I might give.
I still have mine.