We recently read an article about who is liable in an accident where the car involved has no driver. Is it the fault of the other driver, or the car manufacturer? Perhaps the manufacturer who supplied the parts for the driverless system, or the company who surfaced the road should take the blame? There is all manner of possible scapegoats to consider in this scenario.
Thankfully, this is not yet an issue since driverless cars are still very new, but this article got us thinking more deeply about the issue of liability and how it might apply to our industry.
Do you trust technology?
Due to the rapid increase in system capability and systems replacing many of our traditionally human roles, consumers have to place increased trust in the technology that surrounds our daily lives. However, should consumers be placing trust in technology or should their trust be with the providers?
What happens when something goes wrong?
When something goes wrong, the people with the issue – in the example above, the passengers in the driverless car immediately want someone to blame for their misfortune. This is a universal truth of consumers in any industry, including the recognition space. If the technology fails and there is no obvious source to blame, or no one is taking responsibility for the problem, customers will quickly lose faith in the service or product and may even take their business elsewhere.
Trust your provider not the technology
As it mentions in the article above, Volvo is one of the first companies to take full responsibility for their driverless cars if they are involved in accidents. This is a big step in the ever-increasing technological world where many things are created or supplied by many different suppliers, and responsibility for issues is becoming less obvious.
As a consumer, if you purchase products or solutions from an organization that takes responsibility up front if things go wrong, you can feel safe in the knowledge that you can at least trust your technology provider, even if the technology fails. Coupled with your provider taking ownership for technology failures if they occur, these are some of the other factors consider when looking for a technology provider for your workplace or home needs:
- Assess the reliability of and consistency in delivery of your supplier from their other customers. Does it fill you with confidence?
- Are they good communicators? Sometimes technology breaks and technology providers can’t always pinpoint the cause immediately.
However, the communication from your provider during difficult times is what will help you both through the pain points.
Final thoughts
It is difficult to place complete trust in the increasingly complex technological systems available to us today, but by paying attention to the factors above you can ensure that you make the most appropriate decision for your business needs.
If something goes wrong with your technology, who’s going to step up to the plate? Do you have a trusted provider who’s going to take the right steps to ensure the reliability of the technology and provide timely support and communication if something goes wrong? Ask yourself these questions before a problem arises to help prevent problems in the future.
