There is no disputing the facts! To be successful in domestic and international business, one has to offer products and services of the highest quality and functionality and at a price point, the client can afford and is willing to pay. These points have been the main factors companies have used to differentiate themselves from one another during the previous Industrial Revolutions. However, as we move into the Fourth Industrial Revolution and embrace the global market, the gap between the quality and functionality of products and services will continue to narrow. Therefore, achieving new and distinct product differentiation based on these factors alone will become even more challenging.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is happening now, is focused on the use of technology to provide a more personalized, convenient, and higher-quality customer experience. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is powered by technologies such as cloud computing, social media, the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, increasing computing power, big data, etc. And even though the present situation surrounding us amidst the COVID Pandemic limits personal contact and interaction, there is another way to create differentiation and a better customer experience – the Human Factor.

The continued expansion of technology into our daily lives, coupled with limited personal interaction due to the present pandemic, limits our opportunities to connect and interact with other human beings. Pandemic burnout, screen fatigue, doom scrolling, anxiety, and depression are real and becoming more and more prevalent. These problems will only worsen and create a further burden on society until we can connect and interact again on a close, intimately personal, and human level. As we become more and more reliant on technology and become more and more digital, I believe there is also an increasing need to connect as humans.

As the weight of the present pandemic slowly rises from our shoulders, humans will be craving the need for personal contact and interaction. The freedom to meet, touch, communicate and interact face to face are all basic human needs.  How a company’s products and services help facilitate this “reconnection” while keeping people safe will differentiate them from the pack. Society needs products and services that connect people and strengthen that connection, both digital and analog. We are all first humans, and we need to care for our basic human needs first. When these human needs are taken care of, the digital world will help us grow and be better humans. But we must never forget – the human factor comes first, and the human factor can create differentiation and success.

This is where GDI Communications excels, and “Human Factor” can provide exceptional human talent. Our GPODs and GPOD Services provide that and are designed to help Japanese companies initiate, cultivate, and maintain global connections, networks, and interactions. So even if you are not planning on taking your products and services overseas, incorporating our GPODs and GPOD Services into your daily business and operations can help create a customer experience different from the norm. And this new customer experience may be the catalyst needed to overcome the status quo and carry your already successful company into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

  James