In today’s age we are using the internet to communicate, with Facebook, Skype, WhatsApp and Twitter all being top platforms. Ofcom released the Communications Market Report in August 2017, it states “The internet is essential to the way in which people in the UK communicate, find information, seek entertainment, shop and participate in society.” Some can say we use technology to speak more than our own mouths, which in turn impacts the way we interact in business to our customers and colleagues.

Don’t be mistaken, we certainly aren’t anti-digital, businesses see great success communicating to their audiences through technology such as email, Skype, social media etc. However, from a passionate marketer’s perspective, it’s important to point out the ways digital communication has impacted human interaction.

In today’s age we are using the internet to communicate, with Facebook, Skype, WhatsApp and Twitter all being top platforms. Ofcom released the Communications Market Report in August 2017, it states “The internet is essential to the way in which people in the UK communicate, find information, seek entertainment, shop and participate in society.” Some can say we use technology to speak more than our own mouths, which in turn impacts the way we interact in business to our customers and colleagues.

Don’t be mistaken, we certainly aren’t anti-digital, businesses see great success communicating to their audiences through technology such as email, Skype, social media etc. However, from a passionate marketer’s perspective, it’s important to point out the ways digital communication has impacted human interaction.

Illustration of a person thinking

Today it’s possible to manage all business from home, with technology being the main reasons why this has become so feasible. With freedom and flexibility, remote working is becoming popular. However, research indicates that freelancers or employers telecommuting or working from home often feel isolated and miss the exchange of ideas with the peer sitting on the nearest desk. Employers are the ones who are behind the brand, so if internally the team if strong, the output of the brand will surely be stronger.

For success, you also need employers striving for the same goal and contributing with ideas and creativity. Environments where people can grow, as individuals, as a company, or together with a customer, demands human interaction.

Face-to-face perspective is important, even more so in business. For example, say you have a conference call with a customer, all goes well but following the conversation you have a gut feeling something was off. Body language could have helped here. Non-verbal cues are just as crucial when we’re communicating, research indicates that it accounts for 55% of the overall message. A customer experiencing that your company doesn’t understand them, is not good for a brand.

It’s also about relationships, if you have a strong one you’d feel confident calling the customer back or returning for a second face-to-face talk. Human interaction mixed with digital communication is far better than only communicating to something through a device.

Technology is insanely amazing, there’s no denying that, but us humans have features smartphone can’t compete with.

Research by Mercola named ‘The Power of Face-to-Face Meetings in a Digital World’ shows that when humans interact neural synchronization takes place between the two brains, a type of connection that doesn’t occur in any other type of conversation. As well as also stating that “87% prefer to meet in-person, and in-person meetings were ranked as more productive than their virtual counterparts.” It is important human interaction doesn’t get neglected for the convenience of technology.

Roll your socks up, be face-to-face with your colleagues and get to know your customers personally, not from behind a computer screen. Because the more digital contacts you have, the more face-to-face meetings are needed. At some point you want to get a ‘face’ to a contact; how often don’t you hear the words: "Oh, so nice to meet you, always good to put a face to the voice on the phone and through email.”

Ofcom. Communications Market Report, August 2017.

The Guardian. Is freelancing a lonely business? July 2014.

Allan and Barbara Pease. The Definitive Book of Body Language, September 2006.

Mercola. The Power of Face-to-Face Meetings in a Digital World, October 2015.

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