Modern technology advance brings many benefits, but, almost always, a technology advance also brings with it the potential for negative side effects.

People interact with technology and so the effects, both positive and negative, bring changes to the way people interact with one another. Scientists and engineers are notorious for not being that good at people interaction. They are also not trained to study human interactions.

The science of ergonomics is a relatively new endeavour. But ergonomics is the physical interface between people and machines. It is primarily concerned with making sure that the hands and feet of human operators can easily reach levers and pedals – it is not that much involved with psychology. The psychology is important. These days, rapid technology change intrudes into human psychology. For example, email and cellphone text messaging change the way people think and feel about interpersonal communications. These innovations have led to unfortunate outcomes, such as school bullying by text message. A child is targeted by a group and sent psychologically damaging text messages.

People in authority need to be aware of the psychological outcomes of certain technological advances, and the consequent potential for damage to business relations and performance.

Let me relate my credit card story with my bank. The time came up for my credit card to be renewed – in fact, two cards which had almost identical renewal dates.

In the past, I would get a notice in the post that my new cards were ready to be collected from the Standard Bank branch. Not anymore. Now the bank uses modern technology to save the price of postage. The is now using the technology of text messaging to its advantage – not to the advantage of the customer.

I happened to use my credit for a purpose where someone asked for the number expiry date and security number. I then noticed that my card was due to expire in a couple of days. So I phoned my branch to ask where my new card was. The reply: “Oh, it is here. It has been here for weeks. Didn’t you get the SMS?” Me: “What SMS?”

I was then told that, weeks previously, the bank had sent me an SMS message to come and fetch my card. I had received no such message. I searched my phone to find one . . . nothing. I told the bank person that I had never given authority for me to be sent notices by SMS. The bank just did it. So I was irritated. To make matters worse, the bank person then tried to explain how the SMS message decision was for my convenience.
No, it is not. It is for the profit and convenience of the bank. The bank saves on postage and the effort involved in posting. It really irritates me when the bamk thinks that I am dumb enough to fall for its stories.

What irritates me even more is when they then make out that it is my fault that I did not see the SMS, sent to me randomly. So I went into the bank on a Saturday morning. I stood in a queue of fifteen people – I counted them. It took ages – long enough for me to see the bank employees walking around, wearing big white pin-on discs proclaiming that they give '10 out of 10 service'. No, they do not.

Posters on the wall proclaimed to me how much they help me with my business. No, they don’t – they help their business. As a customer, I felt like cannon fodder. So, eventually, I got to the front of the queue and received my new card. While the bank official typed in the details, I said that I would rather have a notice posted to me. She told me that they do not like doing that. I was told that, "for my convenience, they want to do it their way". I pointed out that it was not convenient for me, as I again read the white disc proclaiming that they provide '10 out of 10 service'.

I then asked if I could have a few bank plastic bags for holding cash. She told me that she had run out, but to go and stand in the next queue – "they should have some there".

The ’10 out of 10 service’ disc glinted in the lights. At that point, another woman staffer heard this and took pity on me. She appeared with plastic bags. I left unhappy, having experienced no ’10 out of 10 service’.

The bank saga was not over. A few days later, I realised that my second card had expired. I phoned. It had been sent to another branch. I called them.
Didn’t I get the SMS? No! Tough luck – they sent the card back to HQ as unclaimed. It has been destroyed. I will have to apply for a new one and since it is my fault that I did not fetch it, I must pay the penalty fee to make a new card.

“Why did no one phone me?” I asked. “My name is on the card. You know me.” Well, phoning is old technology. For my convenience, they do not do that anymore, they SMS.

Somebody pushes a button and says “that gets rid of nuisance customers” and goes home. Customer satisfaction? That is taken care of with a big white disc proclaiming that you get ’10 out of 10 service’. If you cannot see the service, that is your fault.

After thinking about it for a couple of weeks, I called the bank's head office and spoke to someone I was told was senior enough to look into my complaint. As I spoke I got the impression that he really was more interested in important things, like lunch break. He said I must write a letter to him, explaining it all. I did. Months later, no reply. I do not expect any. I wonder if he wears a white disc in head office.