High-Tech, High-Touch? - IDK

Guilty! I have uttered this catchy phrase over the past few years as it relates to providing programs and opportunities for older adults. I sort of thought I knew what it meant. I put together a few examples to bring clarity in my mind that I will hit on below. For the sake of this post, I am referring to high-tech, high-touch based on programs and engagement. I have no business speaking about the clinical side and what high-tech solutions are doing for all things care related.

While I proposed “high-tech high-touch” was needed, I always I believed there would l always be an extensive need for relationships and human touch to support community life. But just maybe the high-tech stuff what would help to solve the staffing shortage, isolation, loneliness, a larger variety of offerings, the ability for people to consume and engage on their terms, and more. I definitely think when used in tandem as a way to support engagement and community it can be a perfect partner. But I do not think it is the sole solution or as easy as we would like to admit.  You cannot just give people technology and instantly expect results.  Perhaps we first start with what we want the results to be?   If we give all residents a tablet or smart TV, what do we want the result to be?  People internally connecting to one another through those devices?  People expanding their supportive network? Engaging in health and wellness apps? Setting up self-service tasks?  Video chatting?  If we just want people to utilize and adopt technology we have to think about the end goal. We will talk more about outcomes a few paragraphs down.

What Does High-Tech, High-Touch Even Mean?

I did what every respectable human does…I Googled it! Books, hands on science programs, better customer service and such. I found this title - High Tech Vs. High Touch: Balancing Technology and People by Tim Dimoff. Article Link. The title drew me in. I admitted to myself at my desk…Why have I been saying something that I do not know entirely what it means? Do tech people think I am an idiot? Do residents think I am an idiot? Do I think I am an idiot? Maybe.

As someone who continually states the phrase “have you asked the residents or people you are serving?” I cringed inside.

Nope. Guilty again!  I have never asked a resident what “high-tech vs high-touch” means to them. Do they care? Have they ever heard the phrase? Is it even relevant in the operating and service model when they are planning their next move or home? Is “high-tech” a service and amenity or a way to reduce human interaction? Do introverts like high-tech and extroverts like high-touch? I could go on, but the point is, what “high-tech” stuff do residents want? Not what we think we need as companies or what other competition is doing.

I have to think if I asked someone who does “tech stuff” (I will keep it broad), if a tablet, smartphone, smart TV, VR headset, virtual offering, streaming music, in room channel, digital signage, scent pumped through the HVAC, voice enabled devices and smart home features are high tech, I have a feeling they would laugh at me. I have to think the truly high-tech stuff is more about the AI, machine learning and data insights we get from all of these low-tech offerings that capture individual interaction and engagement.

Will High-Tech Ever Suffice for Human Confirmation?

Right now I am struggling to see how a response that says you have been added to a waitlist, your maintenance request is logged, your appointment is confirmed, we received your transportation request, your food order is being prepared, etc. is the response and answer our customers expect. Additionally, are we 100% certain we can deliver on what was just auto guaranteed? Think about your most recent stay in a hotel. I know it may be a while ago, but just go back to when we traveled freely. There are many variables that dictate how I interact with a smart room, an app for check-in, a key code on my phone to unlock my door, bypassing the in-person check and such. Time of day, mood, in a hurry, traveling alone or with others, familiarity with location, is my phone charged, do I trust and know the brand.

If there is a maintenance issue like my tv will not turn on, remote batteries are shot, lamps and lightbulbs blow out, shower is not draining, something is leaking, I cannot open the crazy child lock on the balcony door because I need to push, pull and turn at the same time, I do not go to the tablet mounted on the wall and log a request, satisfied with a standard reply and automated response. Instead, I call. Why, because I know it is someone’s role and responsibility to answer my question(s) with human interaction. If I order room service and the app says 20-30 minutes and it has been 45, I can assure you I am probably not going to go back on the tablet and send a message to ask where my food is.

There is an individual level of importance that will always dictate one’s interaction and if they want the high-touch or high-tech approach. Next time you are in a CVS, Walgreens, Target or any other place that has self-service check out, sit back and watch how people interact with being forced to provide their own customer service, especially the older demographic. The lack of socialization and relationships taking place where older adults are accustomed to conversing about the simple things in  life is being removed far too often in an effort to do things quicker, automated and without people.

If we are selling “high-tech” as our new approach, is that same experience of self-service the interpretation of the consumer; residents and families?

A New Resident Experience Approach

High-Touch, Low-Tech. Isn’t that what we truly aspire to be in this space of serving older adults? Isn’t that what we sell? Community, relationships, experience, a feeling, a HOME. Ryan Frederick wrote an amazing piece today about homelessness in a home. Check it out here. By the way, if you are not subscribed to Ryan’s posts, you need to click that link and do it now! I believe there are components of community that can be cultivated through technology, but it is hard to get that “feeling” from a virtual encounter or automated customer service, especially if you are moving into a space and you were sold on the culture of high-touch. Anyone can outfit their own home and make it high tech, if that is  what we want to sell, then why would one move? We cannot lose site or focus. We cannot chase tech enhancements and forget human interaction. Relationships are everything in this business. They take time, need to be cultivated and one must be given the approval to develop them in meaningful ways while working.

In the article I referenced by Tim Dimoff, he ends the blog with this title People do not buy products or services. They buy outcomes.

Right now in the red ocean of community living we keep talking and one-upping each other about better products (I will say assets) and services. We offer this restaurant, an art studio, a fitness center, xyz virtual program, this apartment, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, the list goes on. The more we can list, the more attractive a place becomes. But what is the outcome people are looking for? I do not think it is “this or that”, high-tech or low-tech. The outcome is many different things to many different individuals. Most often I hear it defined as such:

Security

Safety

Community

Support

Quality of Life

Well-Being

A Place Where I Can Thrive

How can tech help us achieve these outcomes while also being authentic and supporting of the notion that senior living and working with older adults will always be a high-touch business? To end, I quote Tim once more:

“Make developing a high-touch company culture a full-time commitment. It is crucial everyone from the front desk to the behind-the-scenes employee understands what sets you apart and what it means to have a high-touch company culture.”