Customer Obsessed

2People Drive Change, Technology Enables

I am a firm believer that people, not technology, are the driving force behind a company's success. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at one of the most people-focused organizations operating today: Change.org. Their entire purpose is to enable collective action to drive positive change; people connecting with other people, aided by technology. Completely user driven, their online petition platform enables people all over the world to create campaigns to accomplish incredible things: overturning the ban on gay Boy Scouts, defeating Thailand's blanket amnesty bill, saving Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag in Sudan from execution on apostasy charges, and the list goes on. Over 100 million people have used Change.org since it launched in 2007, and it isn't because of the technology supporting it.¹ The company tapped into an incredibly powerful force to help make a difference in the world: people.

Now, I know that not every company can operate like Change.org, but there are a ton of other examples where companies put people, and their experiences first. Take a look at companies like USAA and Trader Joe's, two radically different businesses, but with the same goal in mind: serving the customer. While they use technology to improve the customer experience, they never allow new technology to dictate or alter that focus. That's what I mean when I say companies need to prioritize people over technology. Every company's success is dependent upon people, ...