Smart phones, apps, internet of things, big data, blockchain and robotics are all topics that fill our everyday lives, even though only a few years ago many of them were — and some still are — in diapers. Technology is not slowing down either, it is opening more possibilities than we ever imagined for our personal and professional lives. These rapidly changing new technologies inevitably lead us to think about our fascinating and uncertain future – will businesses exist outside the boundaries of the digital world? Where will companies’ differential value lie in a world of tech systems?
Researchers and educators around the globe find themselves in quicksand working to determine the professions and technical competencies that will be truly valuable and relevant to have successful careers in a technology-driven world.
Virtual assistants and computerized customer support services try to provide the most human-like experience possible – and succeed remarkably. Yet, this is precisely where technology encounters its limit: genuine humanization.
Is it possible, then, that in a world where technology and digitalization are the norm, it will be the human dimension of our services that will gain value and relevance? In a future world, perhaps personalized, human-delivered services that we now see as simple, might become part of the luxury service sector.
We will never be able to program or replace the simultaneous greatness and simplicity that a human being can offer, including the clumsiness or bad mood brought on by a Monday morning. These are the little things that makes us feel connected, that prove that they are like us. Genuine humanization is where our differential value lies – although we can’t forgo the indisputable need to take advantage of and keep up with technology.
No matter what industry we’re in, our ultimate goal is always to provide value to our customers: human beings. Just like technology itself was created to improve and make our lives easier.