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I really don't get why all the charging networks in Europe require you to sign up, get a card, download an app, etc. It's ridiculous. 2019's "sign up, get a ca
by stcredzero 8y ago
I really don't get why all the charging networks in Europe require you to sign up, get a card, download an app, etc. It's ridiculous.
2019's "sign up, get a card, download an app" is like 1990's "Leave your name and contact information. Our sales people will contact you."
- noer 8y ago>Leave your name and contact information. Our sales people will contact you. This happens far too often in 2019 as well.
- magduf 8y agoIt absolutely does, but the businesses that work that way are dinosaurs run by people with a 1970s mindset.
- TheSpiceIsLife 8y agoNot necessarily. I recently purchased software to the tune of ~AUD$25k, where downloading and installing a trial version makes almost no sense given the target audience: laser cutter, where each model of machine from any specific manufacturer can have a slightly different dialect of G-Code, and this type of software is often way too complicated for the average operator to nut. So I sent a couple of emails and got swift responses and screen-sharing demos from both companies I contacted. The sorts of programs I can download a trial version of and have running in half an our or so are nowhere near as mature as the products we short listed. So I'm going to suggest it depends a lot on the target audience. When you're handing over multiple tens of thousands for a semi-bespoke software package management, in my experience, typically require interaction with a sales agent. This is in the context of physical industry, I can't speak for the software world, where perhaps spending multiple tends of thousands on online services is common? I have no idea.
- Thriptic 8y agoIt all depends on the product. Once you start getting into niche products which cost thousands or tens of thousands per year to use, the assumption is that the customer is a serious business with funding that has a known problem to solve. There will be a much smaller number of approaches than with a cheap consumer facing product and a conversion is worth a lot, so it makes sense to pair prospective customers with a domain specialist / sales person immediately to tailor the pitch to the specific candidate, modify the solution as necessary to fit the customer's needs, and make sure they are happy.
- anitil 8y agoI was shocked the other day to see a water dispensing ... thing, that required you to download an app. An app. For water that is free from another very similar water dispensing thing call a tap!
- b_tterc_p 8y agoIs it possible this exists to prevent homeless people from using it?
- general8bitso 8y agoHomeless people don’t have smartphones?
- b_tterc_p 8y agoI would imagine that within the class of homeless people, undesirability in public area correlates with likelihood of having no phone?
- StavrosK 8y agoIf I were homeless, a smartphone would be near the top of my list of useful things to have. I'm not sure your correlation holds...
- cyberbanjo 8y agoIf there were a group most likely to not have a smartphone, homeless people likely surpass those who willfully give them up.
- b_tterc_p 8y agoI imagine it would. If you read again I’m trying to distinguish people who are homeless and people who are mentally ill, filthy, and verbally threatening homeless. I don’t think we should restrict people’s access to water, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this was a motivation. I would bet that the least desirable people in society don’t have smartphones generally.
- marcosdumay 8y ago> 1990's There are many sites like that on the internet today. Ever had to buy enterprise software?
- solarkraft 8y agoThose products typically go right to the end of my list.
- AndrewKemendo 8y agoFor what it's worth, that's exactly what they want you to do if you're only casually interested in the product.
- dredmorbius 8y agoThere are other ways to accomplish that. NB: I said other, not better. https://ello.co/dredmorbius/post/7tojtidef_l4r_sdbringw https://ello.co/dredmorbius/post/7tojtidef_l4r_sdbringw
- solarkraft 8y agoI find this interesting. Don't you want to spread knowledge about and sympathy for your product as wide as possible to get a good base of advocates, eventually reaching decision makers? (See: Student licenses, open source and such)
- AndrewKemendo 8y agoTotally depends on the product. OSS? Social? Consumer? Media? Sure! Enterprise/Productivity? Not as much. What you want is your sales team following high probability of conversion leads. If I make you jump through a few hoops just to talk to a sales person, then I've already weeded out most of the people who wouldn't buy it anyway.
- marcosdumay 8y agoWell, I know of a couple that lost the chance of participating in some government specs because they had such sites and were hard to reach. "Casually interested" can mean a lot of things, all look the same to the seller.
- angstrom 8y agoOr one of the many collect call phone numbers.
- Nimitz14 8y ago> Leave your name and contact information. Our sales people will contact you. What would be the right way?
- i386 8y agoHow about turn up, NFC/swipe and plug in. Not customer experience should be "improved" by an app.
- beatgammit 8y agoOr insert credit card.
- agumonkey 8y agoprogress doesn't solve the 'we need money, thus we need clients'; it's a game of whack-a-mole..