A couple months ago I stood in line at the local Apple store to buy the new iPhone 4s (I used to shake my head at people who did this, yet there I was). The purchasing process took longer than expected, so by the time I made it home I was inclined to take the family out to eat rather than to cook (I own the kitchen on the weekends).
“Hey, let’s use Siri to make our dinner plans!” (In case you’ve been on the moon the past few months and missed all the television ads, Siri is the voice-activated assistant on the iPhone).
“Siri, what’s the number for Maggiano’s?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t find the phone number for Mike Geonese,” Siri responded.
Hmmm.
“What’s the PHONE NUMBER for Maggiano’s RESTAURANT?” I tried again.
“I found 25 restaurants, tap the one you want to call,” Siri replied. Maggiano’s was not among them.
“What’s the telephone number for Maggiano’s restaurant on Freedom Drive in Naperville, Illinois?” I said again, attempting to refine my request.
“I found 25 restaurants, tap the one you want to call,” Siri repeated.
Stupid Siri!
When we seek data as part of our work – through Internet searches, database queries, and requests of our colleagues, clients and suppliers – how precise are we? How well are our needs understood? How well does the data we receive satisfy them?
When we provide information to our business partners – through formal presentations, meetings, email, and every day conversation – how well is it understood? Does our audience tell us when it’s not?
Siri’s not stupid. It let’s us know when we haven’t been clear. It let’s us know its limitations. This is incredibly valuable in the process of communication.