Student Affairs Women Talk Tech

Using Tech to Enhance Quality

“The Devil is in the Details”. Using Tech to enhance quality.

Originally Posted on Student Affairs Women Talk Tech Blog, February 9, 2012 by thatkeeginlady
(Click on the link above to see it on the blog page).

We’ve all heard this quote. I’m a detail person and “Arranger” is in my Top 5. (Strengths Quest). I know for a fact that if you leave the details out of a plan, they will become problems later. You have to pay attention to the details AND those tiny little insignificant details can save you time. Where does tech come into this?

How about when you’re planning a meeting? Some folks jump right to content and have already started brainstorming the topic in their heads. I’m WAY back on the other end starting with – when can everyone meet and who is attending? USE DOODLE. Where will we hold the meeting? WE USE RESOURCE 25. Do we need tech at this meeting? A PREZI WOULD BE NICE. Are we collaborating on the agenda? USE GOOGLE DOCS.

Many times I’m chastised about bringing a conversation back to “reality” and “the details”, and when I suggest using various programs online -I’m met with “You’re such a tech person!” – when really, to me, its about making sure everything is organized efficiently. Why spend time trying to schedule a meeting for 30 people on scraps of paper when there’s a website that can do it for you – and keeps folks accountable for following through on their end?

How about Marketing? Today I took a picture of my Red Bull pull tab. Why? Because I appreciated the detail that went into it. It’s blue, it stands out next the silver can, it has a little tiny bull image punched into it. Details. They didn’t have to do either of those things – but it all has to do with Brand Recognition. Are there marketing details like that that we as Student Affairs offices can be using with our social media campaigns?

How about blogging and tweeting? Details there (which I would say are Best Practices) are making sure to have pictures attached to your tweets. Shoot videos of your intended message. Hold people’s interest in your content. Try to have consistent content – schedule your tweets and posts if you need to to make sure you have regular contributions.

Details = Quality. Here’s a blog post by Seth Godin that compares experiences with an egg at a diner vs. a free range egg cooked at home in his cast iron skillet. “The quality of specialness and humanity, of passion and remarkability.”

What kinds of tech will help you in your position to provide quality experiences by paying attention to the details?

Examples that WON’T give you quality:

+ Showing movies in a lack luster room with not-so-great picture image or sound quality.

+ Broadcasting the Super Bowl, but not in High Definition.

+ Squishing folks in the “same room we’ve always used” for the annual “State of University” address. {Clearly this is a real example. This finally changed the second year with a new President.}

+ Over-teching it: When you get an undergrad to design a Prezi for you when you really have no idea how to load it/operate it yourself.

These are obviously personal examples of things that I’ve noticed, so I admit this topic has been on my mind lately.

I’d like to know of other examples you all have of either tech helping you to provide quality through the details OR a time when you wished someone would have taken the time to pay attention to the details.

One thought on “Using Tech to Enhance Quality

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