Does the technology increase the efficiency of an employee ?

My smart phone reminds me of my friend's birthday. It also reminds me that I had to send an official mail at a particular time. It tells me to do shopping. It also tells me where to shop. It shows me the way when I drive. I am very comfortable about this payless, non complaining (only for power it craves) very reliable assistant that I have.

But the question that came to my mind is, did it really help in improving my efficiency in my work or my personal life?

13 years back when I was in pharma, I had a team of four people working in four different parts of Andhrapradeh. Initially I had no mobile phone. Applied and in long waiting list for the land phone.
There were no digital organisers. All the communication was through letters sent through post or courier. In case of emergency the only option was to send a telegram and wish it had reached the concerned.

A book and a pen did everything that is needed. It would be once or twice in a month that I used to visit the place of a representative and meet him in person. It was the only time to communicate to him. Once I leave the place there is no way I can communicate to him directly.

Every time I need money I had to go the bank before it is closed, take a token, wait for the kind hearted teller to call my name.

When planning for a tour it consumes an hour or two in booking a ticket in a train or bus where I had to be physically present at the counter.

Lot of things to remember, lot of time to get the things done. But did business suffer ?

The answer is a strict NO.

Now a days.. I spend typically 50% of my time communicating with my team on various issues. Hours together are spent daily on a fancy thing called "conference call". A truck load of MIS analyzing the numbers in every possible angle that newton can invent arrives everyday.

Bud did all this made the work or comfort at personal life improve ?

The answer could be NO

Earlier days I know what I need to do for the day at the starting of the day. My team too knows what they are supposed to do on a particular day (which was decided monthly once through something called tour planner and was adhered to)

Time spent on comupter, phone and other gadgets was less. Time was mostly spent in the field.

Less number of analyses were made. It was commonsense that made the people to take corrective measures if something goes wrong.

I had leisure time that was really leisure time.

Then what is that this entire digitalisation of business brought ?

A question that I feel that everybody should ask themselves.

Let us understand, gadgets, technology may help to some extent. But it is basically human beings that improve the bottom line.