A promise revealed?

Have you heard of people attending classes on how to use Facebook? Probably not. Or how to work an iPhone? Not really, besides basic swapping SIMM cards and contacts from old phones to new phones, they work right out of the box. Tech has delivered on a promise that most people didn't see coming. IT GETS EASIER! Part of the allure of technology has always been "cooler," better features, faster, more attractive, but seldom does ease of implementation of the technology itself rank so high in the deliverables category. We are there, it's proven wildly successful and profitable, so user experience and mass adoption of complex tools is widespread. I was in a meeting last week and one participant said, "Many older people don't have smartphones." I don't agree with this claim, late model Droids and iPhones are very easy to use, thus their appeal to the older generations. Visit a Verizon, Sprint or AT&T store and see who's in there. It's all ages. And it is only going to continue! Tech gets easier and we all benefit.

Put our franchisees in the mix and tech "ease of use" shines through in a pronounced way. Our people are subjected to so many pulls at their time, the new technology available can really make a difference. Being able to price and schedule your work from any location is a dream come true. Could this be any easier than with a tablet computer? No way! Storing files in the cloud for accessability anywhere on any device is wonderful. Posting to social media in real time with pictures, links and information solidifies the belief that each franchisee should "be the expert" in their local market. And we at the Corporate Office are delighted for two reasons. We don't have to train people on how to use the tools, technology has given us a big lead-in for this task. Most importantly, we DO get to teach how use of the tools is beneficial to their business. We distribute information as to what our collective group finds successful. We focus more on the business of business instead of the buttons and gadgets that for years were the root of so much frustration for new franchisees.

Somewhere along the path, technology "promised" it would become easy and its use would become commonplace. It's happening right now to all of us. It's a promise I'm happy to say is coming true.