November 01, 2002

Technology is often seen as a means to decrease human interaction. Try calling your bank for an account balance. You may be irritated with the number of buttons you have to push to hear a computerized human voice return the numbers. Or a trip to the automated teller machine enables a simple bank transaction, but eliminates the chitchat with the neighborhood teller. While such technology may lack the "human touch," it does enhance the ability of the company to operate more efficiently.