Home featured Business Tech eCommerce Featured Business Tech Tech reliance threatening art of ‘good business’ Stephanie Zillman November 19, 2013 Alongside fickle brand loyalty and online shopping, the days of being on a first name basis with customers are mostly gone. Yet, need it be so? In the digital age, adding a personal touch in business can be a remarkable, and memorable quality . A new study from Servcorp found that 65 per cent of Australian business owners believe the use of technology and digital communications has to some extent, meant they’ve lost touch with customers. The survey of more than 450 Australian business owners revealed that 48 per cent now spend less time meeting in person with clients and contacts than they did five years ago. What’s more, it was also found the following technology related faux pas have played a significant role in business relations when it comes to choosing a supplier or awarding a contract : Not having calls and/or voicemails returned (78%) Not feeling like their needs are understood or met (67%) Receiving poorly written emails containing typos and grammatical errors (58%) Limited points of contact – no office line or address on their business card (42%) Feeling like they are too busy for a face-to-face meeting (34%) Marcus Moufarrige from Servcorp commented that while there is no doubt the use of technology and digital communications has significantly increased productivity and fueled growth, it is not a replacement for best business practices. “Australian companies could be