Shepy, User Rank: Apprentice 11/21/2013 | 9:06:46 AM
who knows...
"Take my dentist office, where they're clearly trying to spend less time on me, a low-profit customer. How would my tooth-brushing data make the office more money?"
That's what data analysis is for though, sometimes the most seemingly insignificant of information can generate a correlation that can be levered to raise income.
Ariella, User Rank: Author 11/20/2013 | 1:01:25 PM
Re: Dentist Visit
@chris some people are even that way about their checking accounts, and that's how they end up bouncing checks. Some things you can get away with ignoring, but some things you really do need to know about. For some that could include blood pressure. But for the average person it may not be necessary.
ChrisMurphy, User Rank: Author 11/20/2013 | 12:50:54 PM
Re: Dentist Visit
You raise a key element with this Internet of customers concept -- do I really want to do that, even if I can? Healthcare is a great example, because most of us who aren't health nuts don't want to think about our well being all the time. Mr. Benioff suggested in his keynote that he's a very diligent toothbrusher, so he might love a tooth camera. Most of us think of teeth the same way we think about our blood pressure and our retirement savings -- things we want to ignore and just hope they work out OK.
Ariella, User Rank: Author 11/20/2013 | 12:43:58 PM
Re: Dentist Visit
@Chris you're kidding, I know, but something like that is possible. The last time I had a cleaning, the hygenist wore some kind of magnifier to get a better view. I suggest that it would be possible to make them into cameras that would show the teeth on a monitor. My dentist agreed it's possible but said most people don't want to see their own teeth that way.
The IoT must be limited to industry and commerce. Pushing it into the personal realm risks having an outsourced surveillance state, where corporations penalize you for small life choices. Too busy to brush your teeth last night? Dental insurance up 50 percent. Ate a cheeseburger instead of a salad for lunch? Health insurance up 50 percent. Welcome to the Brave New World.
ChrisMurphy, User Rank: Author 11/20/2013 | 11:45:03 AM
Re: Dentist Visit
You're right, it's about incentives and "what's in it for me." Efficiency sounds like a tough sell. Maybe my toothbrush needs a camera now, too, so the office can know how grimy my teeth have gotten and allow more or less time for the hygienist based on that!
Whoopty, User Rank: Ninja 11/20/2013 | 11:17:47 AM
Re: IoT STandards?
This is my concern with a lot of data gathering practices, though perhaps you could give discounts with those that willingly allow their data to be used to sell them products further down the road? That way at least they get some benefit from their data being used too.
RobPreston, User Rank: Author 11/20/2013 | 9:59:02 AM
Dentist Visit
Perhaps if Chris's dentist could use the data gathered from the patient's toothbrush to turn the patient's next visit from a 20-minute session to a 10-minute session -- for the same fee -- there's a business case there for collecting that data. But what's in it for the patient? More precise care? The ability for the dentist to intervene early with preventative measures (in which case the dentist is probably sacrificing future profits)? It's an interesting case example.
Lorna Garey, User Rank: Author 11/20/2013 | 9:51:53 AM
IoT STandards?
One interesting angle is data ownership. Who owns the data on your tooth-brushing habits, you or the dentist? If that dentist practice invests in the network, storage and analytics assets to collect and make use of that data, it's going to want to monetize it -- maybe in a way that the patient doesn't like or that may run afoul of HIPAA or privacy laws.
Yet another example of technology getting ahead of legislation and norms of behavior.
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User Rank: Apprentice
11/21/2013 | 9:06:46 AM
That's what data analysis is for though, sometimes the most seemingly insignificant of information can generate a correlation that can be levered to raise income.