It's back to basics again

Personal contact has disappeared under modern technology, says Jonathan Mills.

Am I the only person to wonder: "Have we lost the plot when it comes to communicating with each other, not only in business but on a personal level as well?"

The hospitality industry is all about people, and in the past the sales and marketing professional was expected to create and market personal relationships. Now, the demand is to develop statistical data and articulate the links, which does nothing to improve personal one-to-one dialogue.

And look how our workplace and communication technology has changed over the past three decades.

In the 1970s, we had secretaries using typewriters, Tipp-Ex and carbon paper. In the 1980s, photocopiers and faxes appeared, while portable and car phones allowed constant contact on the move. In the 1990s, PCs appeared on every desk, Web sites became commonplace and we all got our own e-mail addresses for instant messaging worldwide.

Now, all we hear of is CD-Roms, PowerPoint presentations, databases, spreadsheets, Web sites, etc, etc. These are all very powerful and exciting tools, but the technology tends to dominate our environment. This is particularly relevant with the GDS systems which give global access to rates and availability.

These tools give us speedier systems but, negatively, mean a bigger portfolio to work with. We have become robotic and lost the human approach. We have no time to build working relationships with our clients, except on high days and holidays. Company sales forces over the past few years have become leaner and leaner. Sales budgets have declined, and targets get tougher and tougher. We are all on the lookout for a quick fix, rather than seeking to develop relationships.

I feel we are making big mistakes by using and supporting the ever-advancing technical communication channels now offered to us.

I know of numerous senior managers who are submerging their efforts in producing time-consuming and complicated reports which mean little to the reader unless they have the time to carefully extract the bits relevant to their own business.

I believe that, no matter what industry sector you work in, we all have to rethink the way we work and the way we communicate with our friends, clients and colleagues.

Yes, we need to move forward with the technology and use it to our advantage - but we still need to embrace and understand our clients' company goals and objectives. And we can only truly support this by endorsing and activating personal one-to-one communication. Yes, it's back to basics.

Jonathan Mills is director of business development for the Hilton London Metropole, and was an Acorn Award winner in 1998.