Flying with Ann

The End User Could be Next to You!

Yesterday, I boarded a flight home following a week on the road.  The adjacent seat was occupied by a very sweet, southern lady named Ann.  She quickly introduced herself and advised that this was only the second time she had ever flown in an airplane and to excuse her if she got too nervous.  I did my best to assure her that everything would be alright.

We struck up a nice conversations that winded through her life in rural Georgia, her children, the Braves, and then onto her employer.  It turns out that Ann is a regular user of our Tempo platform.  This was my lucky day.

I inquired about her Tempo experience.  She shared that she is often intimidated by technology.  In both her work and home lives, change and new technology have recently been hitting her at "too wicked a pace."  As a result, she avoided Tempo for as long as she could.

When she finally had no other choice, she approached it apprehensively, logging in from a mobile device that she had only recently mastered.  After completing her first training course, she said that she felt empowered.  "Tempo is really easy to use."

She also shared that many of her co-workers have had a similar experience.  Whew!

The conversation served as an important reminder that although our Tempo team is deeply engrossed in the world of technology, our users are not.  Our solutions must always be simple and inviting, as should our service.  When someone calls our help desk, we need to always remember that our users may not be as technically sophisticated as we are.  We must be clear and competent.  Fortunately, we are.

After landing, Ann shook my hand and said she was going to tell everyone at work that she "sat next to The Tempo Man."  But the pleasure was all mine.  Thanks Ann.

Ed Behan, Vice President of Enterprise Services, Globecomm