Wish me something lovely in an unexpected place.
Daniele Catalanotto
Daniele Catalanotto
A Service Design Principle to surprise your customers methodically.
This Principle is inspired by a story shared publicly by Christoph Bitter on Linkedin
You go to work and put your badge on the machine that records employees’ work time. It feels just like any other day of the day. But this time, the device does something special. It says: “Happy Birthday!”
It’s a small gesture that doesn’t cost much to implement and is automated. But because it’s in an unexpected place, it makes you smile and feel appreciated!
There are many reasons to celebrate: birthdays, the 100th day of work, the anniversary of a first meeting, etc.
What would be a good enough reason to wish something lovely to your customers or staff members? Where would that be unexpected?
Footnotes
Thanks to Christoph Bitter for sharing his experience with the machine that unexpectedly wished him a happy birthday. His story inspired this principle.
The first draft of this Service Design Principle was adapted into a more understandable English by the lovely Joanna Bienz. Thanks, Joanna!
Daniele's personal notes
- This is the second draft of this Service Design Principle.
- The length of this principle has been reduced by 11% compared to the first draft.
- Once adapted even more, this principle could be part of the book "Service Design Principles 201-300"
- As always, feel free to share comments, feedback or personal stories to improve this principle.
Daniele Catalanotto
The third draft of this Service Design Principle
Footnotes
Daniele’s notes