Letters from a perfect imperfectionist: Digital

I’m talking about digital.

I’m writing this in the middle of the BDA Conference in Manchester – where everyone is talking digital.

The exhibitors are showcasing digital or heading that way.

Digitise or die!

We’ve published Venn diagrams and workflows about digital.

Next month at the Clinical Innovations Conference, digital will loom large.

We are seeing the birth of the integrated digital dental clinic, of digital treatment planning, digital marketing, digital education.

I’m not hearing much talk about people.

Talk about relationships, performance, behaviour, Maslow, leadership, training and development.

Talk about managing expectations, nurturing, word of mouth, appreciation and recognition.

Both conversations require the evolutionary process – if one gets ahead of the other you create an imbalance that makes the consumer fearful. Frightened consumers stop buying.

The digital heroes are emerging.

The people heroes need to make sure that their message isn’t lost in the sound of electronic notifications.

Passengers are normally less interested in how clever the plane is than they are at how well the cabin crew look after them and, of course, whether they arrive safely and on time.

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“These “letters” are the personal observations of me, Chris Barrow and are not intended to reflect the views of 7connections and its team members, they just give me permission to publish here on the basis that they can keep an eye on me, a bit like a mad relative at a wedding reception. I’m likely to upset the sensitive and outrage the sensible – if you fall into either of those camps then read at your peril.”