Technology can be a great tool for retaining customers and employees, but it can also pose retention challenges for both. Even in todayÆs technology-savvy environment there are always some customers and employees who fear technology and would prefer to leave and shop or work elsewhere rather than learn how to use it. With todayÆs baby boomer generation playing a big role as employees and consumers in todayÆs market, this is fairly common. Wise managers need to find ways to calm their fears and gently and painlessly introduce them to the technology, almost without their realizing it. The key here is baby steps. For example, an employee that is used to old-fashioned cash registers and does not want to learn how to use the companyÆs new electronic registers can start by learning how to scan bar codes instead. This is easy, and much faster than typing in numbers, and the employee can watch the scanned items show up on the register ôlike magic.ö It is the ômagicö part that employers should emphasizeùthe way the new technology makes the employeeÆs job easier, faster, and more fun.
By the same token, many customers refuse to use new technology for the same reasons. They fear not being able to use it correctly or getting stuck with some kind of problem that they cannot resolve. An example of this is the new self-serve checkouts. Most customers will wait in line for hours rather than check out in a few minutes at a self-serve register. One reason is the fears already mentioned, but another may be that they enjoy the one-on-one contact with the cashierùhaving someone to chat with for a few minutes. Many groceries have caught onto this and have stationed a ôhelperö cashier at the self-serve lanes to help with any problems and say a few words to each customer. Since men are more receptive to using self-serve than women, adaptations should be directed more at women (ôStudy: More Men Use Self-Checkout
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