Ask me if I want to continue with you

Daniele Catalanotto
Aug 30, 2022
A Service Design for healthier communities.

In some local Salvation Army communities, at the end of the year, the leader calls you and asks:

“Do you still want to be a member?”

This year was maybe one where you weren't that active in the community. So, the question helps you realize that you'll want to check in more often next year. This conversation can spark a new motivation to keep your membership alive.

Some members might answer by saying:

"You know, I don't feel any more part of the community because of this... And therefore I'd prefer to leave"

Such an answer is a gold mine for the leader. It has valuable feedback that can help avoid other members leaving in the future.

Or people might just want to leave the community for excellent reasons. Then the leader can use the opportunity to thank that member. He can thank the member for all the member did during his active time. He can create a positive last moment for the member of the community.

As we know from psychology, the last moment stays in memory for a long time.

Now, imagine, what if you asked your customers and your team members the same question?

Daniele's personal notes

  • This is the second draft of this Service Design Principle.
  • This length of this principle has been reduced by 50% 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.


Like
Daniele Catalanotto
Oct 21, 2022

The third draft of this Service Design Principle

At the end of the year, some local Salvation Army community leaders ask:

“Do you still want to be a member?”

This conversation can spark a deep conversation. That can then motivate you to become an active member of the community.

Some members might answer by saying:

“I don’t feel any more part of the community because of... So I’d prefer to leave”

Such an answer is a gold mine for the leader. It can help fix problems and prevent other members from leaving in the future.

Or members might want to leave because they are moving cities soon. Then the leader can use the opportunity to thank that member. He can thank the person for all that she did. That creates a positive last memory for the community member (1).

So let me ask you this.

When is a good time for you to ask your team or users this question?

Footnotes

  • As we know from psychology, the last moment stays in memory for a long time. See Principle 098: Always End a Service with a High Peak from the first book in this series — Daniele Catalanotto (2018). Service Design Principles 1-100. Swiss Innovation Academy. Available at https://extra.swissinnovation.academy/efNj accessed 21 October 2022.

Daniele’s notes

  • This is the third draft of this principle.
  • I’ve reduced the length of this principle by 16 % compared to its previous draft.
  • I’ve added a conclusion question and a reference to another Service Design Principle