A team of tech-savvy but patient experts in their fifties and sixties has been set up to offer consultancy for Japan’s growing number of elderly small-business owners on their computer needs, the Japanese arm of IBM said on Thursday.
The team was set up in the hope that hi-tech seniors ”will be able to deal with potential customers who may shun young sales personnel”, IBM Japan spokesperson Yutaka Nukui said.
The group includes 20 veterans of the information-technology industry between 52 and 67 years old, with the average age of 62. Most used to work for IBM.
Nukui said many small-business owners are the same age, so the elderly hi-tech team ”understands the delicate needs of potential clients”.
”They share many similarities as human beings. They have lived through similar periods, so they should have easier time understanding each other,” Nukui said.
The team will also be less expensive than most younger consultants as it will work out contracts individually with each small business rather than charging IBM’s set free.
The Japanese are famous for their longevity, with more than 23 000 people aged 100 or older, in part due to a traditionally healthy diet and active lifestyle. — Sapa-AFP