Doing Without (All My) Tech
I recently tried an experiment: I went for a 2 ½-day trip for a family wedding and didn’t take my iPad or laptop. I took only my iPhone and my Kindle e-reader.
The goal was to see how much I had come to rely on (or worse still, addicted to) having at least a tablet computer as well as my iPhone 24/7.
The result? I noticed that, on a leisure trip, I still found myself reaching for my iPad to read emails and social media even though I could read them on my iPhone. The smaller screen meant I took longer to read emails or posts.
I decided to take only iPhone and e-reader as my plans were to spend most of the trip with family and friends, not working. Given that I arrived at the wedding destination on Thursday evening and left early Sunday morning, I felt that I could manage without “full tech”. If I really needed to answer an “urgent” email, I could do so at a pinch. Of course, typing on a smart phone soft keyboard is nowhere near the same as on a laptop keyboard or a full-size desktop keyboard. Big deal. I managed. I used voice recognition as much as I could.
Was I able to manage? Just. I knew that, within 2 1/2 days, I would return to my tablet and laptop with all that lovely screen real estate! The main revelation to me was that I had just become so used to (or in need of) larger screens as I advance in years. What I also noticed, though, was that because I was using a smaller screen, I started engaging less with tech and paying more attention to people and my surroundings.
We’re all so addicted to our technology that we now can’t imagine life without it. Think of the panic we feel when we can’t find our smartphone. As a matter of principle and efficiency, I always back up my iPhone to my laptop, and I’m considering biting the proverbial bullet and spending money on iCloud storage for the same purpose. This will mean that, at least, should I lose my iPhone or decide to purchase a new one, I can simply restore all data to the new machine from my iCloud backup and not have to rely on plugging it into my desktop or laptop.
As business leaders, we need to look at how reliant we are on technology. At what point could it become a liability? There’s no question that it generally makes us more effective and efficient. The downside is that we become so reliant on it that, in the event of a disaster, without backups of everything stored in our computers, our business could be ruined overnight. This is what hackers target. They know they can bring a business down simply by hijacking its data or removing it and storing it in another storage area. The only way for that business to recover its data is to pay a ransom to the cyber kidnappers. Who needs to download a virus or malware nowadays (unless it’s to extract the data for ransom)?
I’m not advocating that we return to the days of pen and paper, although I know plenty of people who still like paper copies of emails, contracts and other documents as opposed to storing them online or in the cloud. The point of cloud storage is that it provides us with what should be unbreakable, secure file storage, freeing up office space of r more productive uses.
How do you mix and match your technology with “old-fashioned” pen, and paper? Do you have offsite backups? Do you have a plan in place in the event that you lose your data from your main place of work? As hacking methods become more common, these will be more necessary in the future.
I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.
Labels: Productivity, Strategy
A Radical Idea?
I took a short trip (2 ½ days) overseas and found myself debating whether to take a tablet or laptop with me to check and respond to emails.
It made me think: we’re so dependent on computers and on being available 24/7. We see business travellers working on their laptops in airport lounges, hotel foyers, on trains or in their own hotel rooms. The larger hotels have Business Centres and even “Executive Floors” specifically for business travellers.
So… could hotels start thinking about linking remote access to the TVs in every room? With all the brains out there in the world, weshould be able to develop a secure system to enable us to access office email, office intranets and filing systems, and our own personal email, as well as the inevitable social media. There’ll be all sorts of security concerns (cross-border data accessibility, ID theft, industrial espionage, and so on), but I suspect that these can be overcome, if there’s a will to do so.
In my case, my trip saw me arrive at my destination late in the evening on a Thursday (after a day’s work anyway) and depart early morning three days later on Sunday. The trip was actually a pleasure trip rather than for business and the only time I could reasonably be expected to be online to answer “critical” emails would be the first full day of the trip (Friday), and half of the second (Saturday). The temptation was simply to go with my smartphone and trust to that to answer any “urgent” emails that needed to be dealt with. Another way would simply have been to leave an “Out of Office” message saying I’d be offline. I think I’m entitled to be unavailable for 2 ½ days (1 of which is half of Saturday and half of Sunday).
Remote delivery of all services is, in my opinion, the next stage in the evolution of the business trip. It would result in less baggage for businesspeople and increased usage of locations (whether hotels or remote offices) that offer full remote access capabilities. Should one have need of particular files from the office, they could be carried on a pen drive/memory stick/thumb drive (whatever they’re called in your area) and carried with us, taking substantially less space and weight than a laptop or tablet computer.
Apple computers have gone some way towards this with the Mac Mini model that they produce. This is simply a CPU (19.7 x 19.7 x 3.58 cm or 8” x 8” x 1.5”) which can be connected to a keyboard, mouse and monitor (say office and home setups). The downside is that one can’t use it in any location where the latter aren’t available. However, there are remote (Wi-Fi or Bluetooth), keyboards, mice, and portable screens that can be used. It could even be connected by cable to a hotel TV. My son has a set up with what is called a “Steamdeck” plugged into a portable monitor. Hotels could even offer the option of a keyboard and cable to connect to the in-room TV if so desired by travellers.
One might ask, “Why not just carry a laptop or tablet then?” Answer: if we MUST be attached to one of these devices 24/7, Ik (or maybe we need to rethink our priorities). We’re too dependent on firing up the laptop whenever we need to do a quick change to that spreadsheet, report or presentation “on the fly”. If work, life balance really means something, disconnecting from the world is a good start. Some employers already operate a “disconnect” policy where staff may not receive/send emails of work-related SMS messages between certain times of day. Nowadays, with the “Voice Recognition” facility commonly found on many smart phones, we can dictate reports, messages and speeches into our phone for subsequent forwarding or formatting when we next use our computer. This article was drafted using such an app! Imagine: no more pen and paper or needing a typist. We need never fear losing that inspirational thought or idea again.
Yes, this is totally off the wall and may be viewed by some as completely impractical. For those who wish, a laptop or tablet remains an option. This applies particularly on extended business trips, where one may be away from one’s home-base for more than (say) two working days. However, with a bit of planning and organisation, I see no reason that this might not work.
I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.
Labels: Productivity, Risk, Strategy
Who Does Your Documentation?
By this, I mean, who prepares any standard documentation to be used in your company. Not who fills out the forms that you receive?
Like it or not, paperwork is a necessary part of our daily lives. For most services and even products we usually have to fill out some kind of form. In some cases, we may be lucky as the form will be online and we can fill it in on our desktop. At others we have to do it the “old-fashioned way” - on paper.
My question relates to those who design documentation used by customers, or users of their products/services. Having designed many forms myself, when I look back on some of the earlier ones I produced, I wonder how it was that I thought in such a complex way. More to the point, I also wondered how much patience those on the “receiving end” had to have in order to fill these in.
When designing documentation, we need to bear two things in mind:
- The needs of the organisation.
- The needs of the customer
In both cases, these will be opposed. If we take banks as an example, they’re required to know as much as possible about their customers. This results in account opening forms and due diligence documents containing what customers might often consider to be “intrusive” questions. Neither side has a choice: if they don’t get or provide the information, the account can’t be opened. Much as the bank would prefer not to ask these questions, the law requires it.
More to the point, when designing a document, I find myself asking what would be the easiest way for the user or customer to fill it in?
What do they feel when confronted by this form? Is it “user-friendly”? Have I made it as comprehensive as possible to get the information we need?
Is it as concise as possible so as not to frustrate the customer?
A form may be a customer’s first experience when dealing with our organisation. If the experience isn’t:
- Meeting their needs.
- Easy to use.
- Satisfying
… then this will impact our relationship going forward.
In summary, we’ll never be able to abandon some kind of form filling. The only solution is to make it as painless as possible for all concerned. This may mean tempering the zeal of well-intentioned but unaware document designers.
I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.
Labels: Customer Care, Productivity, Regulation
