Technology Creates Room for Us to Foster Better Client Relationships

By Jasen Stine.

“If someone from the 1950s suddenly appeared, what would be the most difficult thing to explain to them about life today? – I possess a device, in my pocket, that is capable of accessing the entirety of information known to man. I use it to look at pictures of cats and get into arguments with strangers.”

This was a joke that floated around social media channels over the last few years. It lightheartedly mocks how we misuse today’s technology, while illustrating the true power we hold. The creation of the internet transformed the way we live our lives every day. It has allowed us to have a storage of information outside of ourselves and simultaneously gives us access to the world’s infinite knowledge. Right at our fingertips. This is truly astounding when you look at it from the eyes of someone who never knew this kind of technology could ever exist.

Now ask yourself this question: What do you do with your available brain power while driving your car, now that you don’t have to pay quite as close attention to the map? If you’re driving around with your spouse or kids, you probably spend it connecting more with each other. And that has more of an impact on our lives and relationships over the longer term than you might realize. On top of that, the same tool that is guiding you step-by-step to your destination is also a dictionary, encyclopedia, therapist, group of friends to consult, and just about anything else you might need in the process of having these kinds of discussions. 

Incredible, right? Now just think about how technology will continue to advance and what that will do to further transform our lives. It has the power to connect us to others in a way that could not have been imagined. Think about how you can now call clients, or vendors, or staff while in your car or how you transitioned from in-person to Zoom meetings during covid.

How you can pull up an app that lets you accomplish a client task when you are grocery shopping, when previously you might have had to wait until you got to your office. And with the advancement of collaboration tools, your clients can work with you more easily as well, while still allowing for your own flexibility. All of these changes let us enhance our relationships with our clients – fostering trust in our ability to work around their schedule, creating new ways to engage from anywhere, and more. 

And by the way, keep in mind that technology will not just continue to advance. It will accelerate in a compounding pattern for at least the next 5-10 years. Perhaps longer. What will be the next big advancement to connect us to others, to our clients? It’s hard to say. But one thing we do know for sure, is that technology has opened up the opportunity to deepen current client connections and even create new relationships that would never have existed without these tools. 

I, for one, intend to continue to use my phone to look at pictures of cats and argue with strangers. But because technology has shown me how to better appreciate advancements and connect with those around me, I hope those cat pictures are more robust with 3D projection so I can enjoy it with my family, that my arguments with strangers are productive and contribute to the betterment of society as a whole, and that my relationships with clients continue to get better and better as more collaborative technology is developed.

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Jasen Stine is Tax & Accounting Education Leader at Intuit.