Technically Impressed

The past few weeks I have found myself at an Apple Store and using my bank’s ATM machine. These are noteworthy experiences because; these are not usually places I find myself anymore. Of course, many years ago before everybody took debit cards and I actually received paper paychecks, I was a frequent visitor to the ATM and why visit an Apple Store when I can get what I want online?  With all that being said, I was actually really impressed with both places.

So what impressed me? It was their use of technology to make my life a little easier on each of those days. I loved that I didn’t need to wait in a long teller line or even have a deposit slip handy to deposit a paper check that I had received. It was fabulous just to insert my check and have it scanned and deposited automatically to my account. I didn’t even have to punch in the amount and my receipt had a copy of the check on it for my records.

At the Apple Store my husband and I only popped in for a brief moment while we were waiting for a table to open up at one of our favorite restaurants. We didn’t really plan on buying anything, but of course I found a great looking case for my new iPhone (which I had purchased online) that I just had to have. The store was packed and I was worried about waiting in line to purchase this must have case, but almost immediately one the of the store associates appeared with a very cool iPod touch that could scan my credit card and allow me to make my purchase where I stood. (As a side note the store associate noticed how impressed we were and let’s just say, Apple knows how cool they are.) I will say it too, Apple is cool! Not only that, their technology combined with a good staff made me smile and got me to my dinner reservation on time.

So, how are you using technology to help simplify your customer’s lives? It could be something as simple as redesigning your payment/order page to be more user friendly. How about using segmentation when sending out an email campaign? You don’t have to have a huge wow factor to see results in your bottom line and with technology, the possibilities are limitless. Just don’t forget that you can have the latest and greatest technology, but customers still like a human touch and great customer service—and it’s possible to have both!

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