It seems to me that we have mixed feelings about human interactions. For some simple processes, it's good to go digital and cut all the small talk and "have a nice day" time wasting. But there are still transactions where we cry out to speak to a "real human being."
You can buy Avon products online. You can even join over 16,000 people in following its Twitter account. But I think that the appeal of Avon ladies, or Mary Kay reps, is having a person who really knows the products offer what she wants to sell you -- er, I mean what you need. It gives one a personalized, customized experience combined with a bit of human interaction -- rather like what many enjoy from hair stylists.Personally, though, I'd prefer to look into the options -- in a store or onine-- and arriving at my own decision rather than feeling pressured into making a purchase.
I think that raises a whole other issue and question, then, Michael, which is what job skills WILL be relevant to this new economy? It's something the next generation needs to be thinking about.
I think your point about B2C sales is right. As we continue to morph into a society that prefers to have fewer and fewer interactions with actual human beings, online insurance agents/travel agents will gain more and more appeal.
I think B2C sales agents (insurance, travel, etc.) will suffer--and have already suffered--from ecommerce sites. The ones that will remain are those in industries that require a lot of human contact to make the sale. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think them Avon Ladies still have a place in society.
I think I agree that none of these will be "eliminated" per se. Well, who really knows, but not in five years. (I may or may not be kicking myself a bit on using the word "eliminated" in this poll.) But anyway, the point is that I think at very least we'll see a lot less of these jobs being filled, and that -- as was said in an earlier comment -- many of these areas will become reliant on having both DIY and some actual service people.
The service sector will always be in need of human beings, so I don't really see any of these positions every being completely eliminated by the Internet. I don't think a computer would be able to facilitate a good experience in any of those areas whereas people can really make a difference in customer service. Good customer service is the mark of a good business and a computer just can't provide that the way a person can.
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
Recently, the Obama administration has been of two minds where privacy rights are concerned. On one hand, you have an administration that vowed to veto CISPA and mandated open data for government websites. On the other hand, you have an increasingly out-of-control Department of Justice on a fishing expedition at AP and demanding legislation to let the FBI wiretap private, encrypted communications and levy fines if a company fails to comply.
The apartment and house sharing service, Airbnb, now requires members to verify their identities by demonstrating a presence on the web, and by either scanning a government ID or entering detailed personal details. Other enterprises should take a close look at Airbnb's verification policies.
Facebook advertising is a lightning rod. It seems neither brands nor consumers are 100 percent happy about the social media site's policies, placement, or procedures. But the real controversy about Facebook ads and promotions is over whether they work.
By now, you've most likely heard about the 3D-printed gun that Texas-based Defense Distributed demonstrated last week. But we haven't heard the last about the censorship war that began soon afterward.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Subsidized handsets, rather than locked handsets, should be the focus of regulators. We're not getting good deals, not fostering innovation, and weakening our power as buyers.
Expert Integrated Systems: Changing the Experience & Economics of IT In this e-book, we take an in-depth look at these expert integrated systems -- what they are, how they work, and how they have the potential to help CIOs achieve dramatic savings while restoring IT's role as business innovator. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
Email This
