I remember when microwave ovens first came out. Dad brought one over to my grandmother’s house, and she said to get that out of her kitchen — that is, until she saw it could heat up her tea in 30 seconds. I think she took great pride in making tea, but her real goal was drinking it, and so the microwave oven became her go-to.
I think we can all remember getting our first cell phone. It was probably the most personal transformation that happened to me with technology — followed by the smartphone. It changed everything. Now smartphones do so much for us, we take it for granted. That’s what success looks like in tech.
So why then would anyone not want the latest technology to propel their business into the future, especially when everything is getting more expensive, it’s harder to hire, and business is slowing down? Here’s why the moving industry is naturally reluctant to change, and how it could affect your business’ future.
What’s stopping companies from adopting moving technology?
Companies are adopting moving technology at a slower pace than in other industries. Here are the top 4 objections to adopting tech in the moving industry:
1) Status quo: Many leaders simply say, “It’s not the way we’ve done things in the past.”
2) Time: You may feel you’re too busy to learn something new.
3) Cost: You might think, “We can’t fit it into our budget.”
4) Culture: Your company may pride itself on meeting customers face-to-face and worry technology gets in the way.
What’s behind the moving industry’s technology resistance?
The funny thing about technology is – it is easy to reject it at first. Humans are very adaptable, but there’s no question about it: anything new takes a little getting used to. It would be foolish not to be the least bit skeptical when someone says, “Hey, I invented this new thing that can change your life for the better.” That’s the way we evolved.
But we also learned through evolution that when you can gain a competitive advantage – to be better, faster, cheaper – you take it, because someone else will.
How moving technology can give you an edge
Here are the top 4 reasons adopting technology in moving can create a strategic advantage for your business:
1) Competitive advantage: In times of change, companies that thrive are those that can break away from the past and adopt new ways of doing business that are consistent with how customers want to work with you.
2) Efficiency: Having technology in your corner is a massive time saver, letting you double your number of daily surveys, and complete surveys twice as fast, using AI.
3) Value creation: The cost of technology is far less than the cost of operating without it. And technology like AI virtual surveys drive down your costs and allows your moving company to bring in more revenue.
4) Customer service: Technology done right brings out the best from your team for your customers, whether it is face-to-face or virtual. Your service level can rise to meet the challenge of your customers’ personal needs.
When your moving company adopts technology, and it becomes “just the way we do things around here,” you feel the multiplier effect it has on the business. Adopting the right technology compresses time, eases scheduling constraints, saves on miles driven, builds trust, and allows you to go about your day without feeling that disappointment when a customer doesn’t show up — or when you know you could be losing business sitting in traffic for a good part of the day. And it takes care of the once tedious parts of your job.
What adopting technology means for the moving industry
After working in the tech industry for over 15 years, the one thing I know for sure is that technology changes everything. It starts with early adopters, but it ends with everyone feeling like this is the way it has always been. Now with the explosion of artificial intelligence, the time between businesses being early adopters and being late adopters is shrinking from years to months.
The tech gap is closing because it makes our lives easier and everything more convenient. There’s no stopping it. Regardless of how you might feel about any given technology, the fact is that once it lands, it gives all its users this new superpower, and that’s what’s happening in the moving industry with Yembo artificial intelligence (AI) virtual survey software.
It’s not just about giving you access to customer’s self-surveys —converting better, faster, and cheaper moving leads into deals. It is a whole new way of doing business with your customers — one that improves your life and theirs through Yembo’s Visual Inventory.
