In today’s technology-led pursuit of efficiency, we’ve removed the humanity from business. Here’s how to correct that.

For better or worse, digital business has fundamentally changed how organizations hire staff, market their services, and connect with stakeholders. The problem is, in an effort to use technology to connect with people more effectively, we have lost the humanity - that critical person-to-person connection - that is the engine of commerce:

• Hiring is done by automated keyword searches.
• Offices have regressed to sterile, highly controlled environments.
• Staff rely exclusively on template responses.
• Websites are designed for search engines, not people.
• Leaders are focusing on arbitrary and antiquated "best practices."

In a world filled with complicated web forms and digital marketing services, we have lost the "human" element in how we run our organizations. TOUCH identifies these problems in stark terms, then provide business leaders in all types of organizations - private to public sector, small to enterprise business - with real-world, tested solutions.

Tod Maffin is president of engageQ Digital, a digital marketing firm specializing in creating human experiences for brands online. He speaks to more than forty conferences a year. He lives in Vancouver.

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Mark Blevis is president of FullDuplex.ca, a firm which specializes in integrated digital communication and online reputation management. He also heads a team that researches the role of online information and interactions in shaping public opinion. He lives in Ottawa.

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