high-touch
High-touch refers to the involvement of personal attention and service.{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/high-touch|title=HIGH-TOUCH {{!}} meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary|website=dictionary.cambridge.org|language=en|access-date=2020-03-22}} In business, the term often refers to situations where trust between the customer and employed individual(s) is necessary.{{Cite web|url=https://www.inc.com/karl-and-bill/building-a-high-touch-business.html|title=Building a High-Touch Business|last=Stewart|first=Karl Stark and Bill|date=2013-06-04|website=Inc.com|access-date=2020-03-22}} High-touch areas include: medicine, wealth management, reference desk, real estate, and legal. Stock trading done by humans, as opposed to automated trading or using online brokers, is also referred to as high-touch.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/blog/human-high-touch-trading-stay/|title=Human high-touch trading is here to stay|date=2017-05-11|work=Bloomberg Professional Services|access-date=2020-03-22|language=en-US}}
Origins
The term was coined in 1982 by John Naisbitt in his book Megatrends.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/high-touch|title=Definition of high touch|website=PCMAG|language=en|access-date=2020-03-22}} It was explored further by Naisbitt in his follow-up book High Tech/High Touch.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbostoncouncil/2018/07/23/how-to-offer-a-high-touch-experience-in-a-high-tech-world/|title=Council Post: How To Offer A High-Touch Experience In A High-Tech World|last=McDonnell|first=John|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2020-03-22}}
In medicine
High-touch may also refer to the frequency in which a surface is touched.{{Cite journal|last1=Huslage|first1=Kirk|last2=Rutala|first2=William A.|last3=Sickbert-Bennett|first3=Emily|last4=Weber|first4=David J.|date=August 2010|title=A Quantitative Approach to Defining "High-Touch" Surfaces in Hospitals|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/quantitative-approach-to-defining-hightouch-surfaces-in-hospitals/47211D8DC5A1353B4C7910D6C415A234|journal=Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology|language=en|volume=31|issue=8|pages=850–853|doi=10.1086/655016|pmid=20569115|s2cid=31732439|issn=0899-823X|url-access=subscription}}
In pharmacology, high-touch may refer to medicines that require temperature control, ongoing drug management, or compliance monitoring.{{Cite web|url=https://magellanrx.com/member/external/commercial/common/doc/en-us/MRx_Formulary_Specialty.pdf|title=Specialty Pharmacy Drug List|last=|first=|date=2015|website=Magellan RX Management|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=22 March 2020}}
= Relation to high tech =
High-touch was coined as a term in response to "high tech". High tech, as opposed to high-touch, is when customers don't need human interaction to perform activities such as onboarding, ordering, and account management.{{Cite web|title=Do Customers Want High Tech or High Touch?|url=https://homebusinessmag.com/sales/customer-service/customers-want-high-tech-high-touch/|last=Williams|first=Howard|date=|website=homebusinessmag.com|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-03-22}} High tech services, such as chatbots, allow customers to get what they want on-demand.