I have long been fascinated by the way information technology is distorted by the economics governing its dissemination and commoditization. For example, I think our concepts of digital identity are profoundly affected by the fact that the mainframe era, in which organizations could afford computers while individuals couldn't, preceded the era of personal computers. The result was that the initial paradigms of digital identity (which permeated the thinking both of organizations and of individuals) emanated from the point of view of the organization, not the individual. It will take… a while… to reach a “recalibration” – in which there is a more balanced relationship between individual and organizational identity.
William Heath reports a fascinating example of potential recalibration of technology relations between customer and commercial entities:
Tom S points out a new service which might further help restore the balance of power between Winston Smith and the forces of darkness….it's called Registered Call. The founder, David Hume, says
Six months ago I launched Registered Call Ltd, a call recording service and
an online Consumer Complaints Resolution Mechanisms (CCRM) developed
primarily to assist consumers experiencing redress difficulties: Users dial
an access number and then, when prompted, the number they want to call. A
message notifies the called party the call is being recorded.
Users can later access their recording from the website and unite with
others who dial the same number.I feel this service could be offered as an open source middleware technology
to all intermediaries within the consumer feedback/complaints industry…Sounds pretty cool. Could Registered Call bridge the “digital divide” issue which UKFeedback will inevitably face? Is it appropriate to use direct recordings of calls to prove service quality points in a constructive way that leads to change?
Quite probably.
