OnBlog: The Human Touch

Working at a data company, it’s often difficult to explain to friends and family what it is that we actually do for a living. You try explaining to a 65 year old grandma what data aggregation and XML syndication is.

And so many conversations throughout the workday revolve around data, technology, GIS, feeds, RSS, CSS, and various other acronyms that outsiders could be forgiven for thinking they’ve stumbled into the newest outpost of the Klingon empire.

Then, once in a while, you have a moment that distill things down to what it’s all about: the human touch.

I had a long conversation earlier today with the founder and CEO of a enterprising young startup company in the commercial real estate space. We got to talking because I’m from the commercial side of the business, and have been interested in technology, data, and marketing in commercial for years now.

One of the things his company does is to help small companies looking for office space. Their website is elegant, well-designed, clean and easy to use. But as we were talking, what became clear was that the focus was entirely on the listing: the price, the location, the size, the square footage, etc. etc.

Having been an entrepreneur myself, and having looked for office space for my small company, I felt that the focus should be on the human being(s) looking for that space. The real question isn’t what the space is like, how much it costs, etc. but what it’s like to work there.

So at a minimum, I told him he should think about putting in nearby restaurants. I mean… think about your office. Isn’t one of the most important things, one of the critical decisions that have to get made every single day, where to have lunch? I know it is here at Onboard Informatics. My team and I will have lengthy symposia on a regular basis about where to go for lunch.

If you’re out in one of those suburban office parks, one of the biggest issues is where to eat, if not the company cafeteria. If you’re in urban central business districts, then you have almost an overwhelming variety of choices. Some offices are in glitzy towers and near everything, but everything is also tres chic and beaucoup bucks. Others are surrounded by awesome falafel places and lunch carts, but when a client comes to visit, you’re scrambling to find someplace with tablecloth.

And that, essentially, is the business we’re in: helping companies develop the human touch.

Data in and of itself is boring and dry (except to some of the guys in our data department, grant you that). Rows and rows of name, address, placeID, categories, subcategories, etc. etc. are nobody’s idea of a good time. I have yet to hear of anyone asking a hottie out on a date to go clean some data.

But data properly used creates the human touch. I mean, what’s more human than thinking like the entrepreneur who needs to know what it’s like to work at a particular location? Or like a young family looking to find a starter home for themselves and their 2-year old child? What is it that they want to know? What questions do they have that need to be answered?

That’s what it’s all about. That’s the promise of the Internet — the ability to interact, to provide depth and breadth of information without it costing a prohibitive amount for print, ink, paper, broadcast spectrum licenses, and so on.

Real estate websites that focus on real estate turn out like a giant, uninteresting catalog, but with bad photos. Real estate websites that focus on the people buying and selling and leasing real estate can be so much more. It can be human.

are we human or are we dancer
my sign is vital, my hands are cold
and I’m on my knees looking for the answer
are we human or are we dancer

will your system be all right
when you dream of home tonight
there is no message were receiving
let me know is your heart still beating

- The Killers, Human (2008)

Save To: