A recent family reunion and the return trip across new geography exposed the weakness of cell phone coverage, internet connectivity and the stark reality that many younger persons cannot give directions to their work location without the help of digital technology.
Imagine the end of a 600-plus-mile day, traveling with a gracious but tired octogenarian and not being able to get a signal strong enough to connect to Google maps or Siri for directions to my hotel. So, I called to get help finding my way. The young man answered and then promptly froze up when asked how to get to the hotel from an interchange on the interstate. After three holds and another 15 miles, he came back on the phone saying, “I don’t think I can help you. I am new and can’t get my Google maps to work.” Later, a young man working in a convenience store helped me with directions, but he needed Google maps even though he had been raised in the area.
Source: Animal Health Digest. July 31, 2018. Unbelievable! The hotel’s training process did not include an orientation to the local area, physical paper maps, major crossroads or landmark familiarity.
INSIGHTS: The hotel employee checked us in and apologized over and over for not knowing how to help us find the hotel. The next morning, I asked the manager if the new-hire training program included geographical orientation and how to give directions. The manager responded sarcastically with a sound, “No.” When I asked if he could have directed me to the hotel from my original location, he baulked and then found a map admitting he needed help to know the street names and intersections.
It is time to help cell phone dependent, geographically challenged personnel lift their chins to see their environment and know how to help customers find their way to business locations.
- Can your employees give directions to your location without a computer or cell phone?
- Do you include geographical orientation in your employee boarding process?
- Have you checked the way a mapping program gives directions to your location?