These days online businesses need to be both high tech and high touch.
We’re no longer doing business face to face, but maybe we can find a way to recreate that warm and fuzzy feeling.
It is so easy to reach out to a new person via e-mail or social networks. The problem then becomes the overwhelm that all of these communication channels creates, and this changes how we interact.
Think back to the 1990’s, when “you got mail” was a great message to hear… and you spent tons of time crafting loving replies to anyone who emailed you.
Funny story: my grandmother once emailed the wrong email address, by omitting an underscore. The person she emailed instead had the same name as her son, and they kept up a correspondence for months as friends, even though they were complete strangers. Because email was still manageable, and it was fun!
Now the hyper-connectivity isn’t so fun anymore.
Now high-tech is reducing the high touch aspects that we used to have in face-to-face meetings and communication.
Take e-mail for example, if you were to receive an e-mail from a stranger you might resist replying if you were overwhelmed. Or you might reply curtly if you didn’t know who they were as a person.
Luckily technology is advancing and adapting itself to the way that we interact online. One of my favorite e-mail add-ons is a tool called Rapportive, that lets you see who is e-mailing you by showing you a photo and links to their most recent social media activity.
Let’s take a look.
Rapportive helps bring high tech and high touch together
Rapportive review :. both high tech and high touch
With Rapportive it’s easy to see exactly who is e-mailing you right in your e-mail inbox. Rapportive is currently available for Gmail, and Google apps e-mail accounts.
When you see the person who’s e-mailing you via their photo in your sidebar, it’s so much easier to relate to them and to be able to speak to them on the same level that he would someone that you’ve met in person.
You can also mention something that they have recently tweeted about, and this builds even more rapport. It can also help you see if you have anything in common with the person, which can work to your favor if you’re the one writing a cold email to someone.
I really believe that using some of these high-tech tools will bring back the “high touch” that we had back in the day where we shopped at the local farmer’s market and knew everyone by name.
Go ahead and install Rapportive, and find out what amazing people are emailing you right now.
You’ll also want to set up your own Rapportive profile, which allows you to configure how you appear in other people’s e-mail inboxes.
High tech, high touch – what do you say?
Enjoy a fine balance between high tech and high touch, and let me know what you thought about this quick tip.
For more technology tidbits that help us live in this high tech world without giving up our high touch values, sign-up for your free Get Techy Now Videos.
