I’m sure you have witnessed this, as have I. Two parents come into a restaurant with their two kids, sit down — and for the next hour, the four of them spend the entire time on some type of an electronic device. Not a word of conversation, no discussions, just texting, phoning, playing games, or whatever. That is a very common sight these days. It concerns me because I believe the parents are not encouraging their youngsters to engage in interaction with other people. If the kids won’t even talk to their parents, then are they going to be comfortable talking to other adults?
I bring this up in the context of the HVAC business because I believe that as technical as we may want to become, our customers and associates still react to us better as people. A friendly smile, a handshake, and a few kind words can replace thousands of texted and emailed words. Don’t get me started on the problem of interpreting what someone means in a text or an email! The words say one thing, but the tone and the manor in which the words are spoken may give an entirely different impression.