discussion

Professionals in all areas from business to counseling commonly anticipate possible cultural differences with clients. Do you agree that the differences can compromise the services that clients receive unless effectively resolved? Give your thoughts on position below.

A policy that many telecommunications companies have implemented is not transferring customer’s data when they upgrade to a new smartphone. With tools like the cloud and data syncing over email, retail stores have transferred this task to the customer. Prior to this, the retail reps would transfer pictures and contacts for the customer resulting in the customer spending hours in the store.  As consumers have become more technologically savvy, this policy has not been a deal breaker. It has been the preference of many customers so that they go about their day and transfer their own data when they are ready. However, the elderly does have an issue with this policy. There are learning barriers with the elderly and the use of cell phones so this policy of having them transfer their own data can be a daunting task (Navabi, Ghaffari, & Jannat-Alipoor, 2016). As a result of the extra help need by some elderly customers, most retail reps will break the policy and help the customer with their data transfer as needed.  

Secondly, as the world gains access to smartphones and the internet, there is a gap in access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) known as the digital divide (Kady, & Vadeboncoeur, 2019). The digital divide could include cultural factors such as the level of income, education, location, age, race, and ethnicity (Vasilescu, Serban, Dimian, Aceleanu, & Picatoste, 2020). For example, in the telecommunications industry there are several promotions targeted to online only. Although this marketing tactic is impactful, there is a portion of the population that is excluded from promos like this based on where they live and their internet access. Some customers are also excluded as more and more services require customers to go online to do administration tasks. These administration tasks include things like receiving bills, changing plans, and ordering return labels. For those customers in rural areas with poor internet service, this type of policy can make it difficult to manage their account.