The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)  states that “Consent must be clear and distinguishable from other matters and provided in an intelligible and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language”. This promises to be a vast improvement on the current consumer experience! A far more notable, and some would say, controversial aspect of the legislation is the expectation that it must be “as easy to withdraw consent as it is to give it”. This suggests that it provides an effective method for consumers to off-board and end their service relationship.

Businesses may panic about their data centres, customer service scripts and marketing, but quietly overlook the ending of the process. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is coming, but few businesses will be thinking about why a ‘proper goodbye’ matters. They should because, there are going to be a lot more consumers leaving services this year, empowered by GDPR. 

As the Black Friday narrative of “Consume More!” comes and goes again, it predictably ignites the counterpoint argument in many of us concerned about the pace of human consumption.

Reading articles along this theme, I am mixed with emotions of encouragement — that we are dealing with the problems of over consumption, and concern that we use the same tired story of guilt, bad big business and systematic failure. Its not that these arguments are wrong, its just they are not part of the consumer’s experience. The real failing is that the consumer experience is an incomplete story. And until the story has an emotional ending, this is not going to change.

“Apple reserves the right to disband a Family in accordance with the “Termination” section of this Agreement.“ 

I found this example so funny, I wanted to make a kids t-shirt out of it. I hoped people would take a second look at the t-shirt on the beach while my kids wore it on their summer holidays. Maybe it would strike up a conversation. Maybe they would think about what it said. Maybe they wouldn’t look, and carry on, like we do when we tick Ts&Cs.

The point of the game is to get through as many cards in a meeting as possible without being found out that you are playing the game and with somewhat of your corporate ‘Humanness' intact.

I have been spending a lot of time researching and writing the Closure Experiences book. Which has been incredibly interesting and I cant wait to share it with you next year. The one aspect which I would love your help with is a title.

I have built a quick multiple choice form to get your thoughts on a few ideas. Even write one in of your own.

This short video provides an outline to Closure Experiences. It explains briefly the customer lifecycle and how this is being effected by a lack of Closure in Services, Digital and Product businesses. 

I don’t tend to punch guests as they leave the party, but some companies do the metaphorical equivalent. Not saying goodbye graciously can create a terrible reputation with your customers, and party goers. Now, I could drag up the usual suspects of big old corporations that fail to create amicable endings with their customers but I want to talk about start-ups, and the tech industry, who are sadly drifting down the path of short-termism that we usually associate with the financial services industry. 

We all have to bridge that gap between the ‘Now’ and the ‘Then’. The being alive, and not being alive. Bowie has inspired in life. In death. And has uniquely stepped inspiringly between.

When it comes to consumption we have 2 conflicting personalities that work against one another - our consuming self, and our civil self. Their experiences are supported by separate systems and different organisations. The battleground is the customer experience, the prize - improving the negative impact of consumption.

Although an office based pulping and paper-making machine might bring an end to annoying footers about printing emails, it will achieve lots around closure experiences in the office environment.

Epson have recently released the worlds first office paper making machine, that turns waste paper in to new sheets. Although this is an enormous achievement for Epson, and will be greatly appreciated by many large companies and organisations, its real achievement is dealing with 2 closure experience issues common in offices. Firstly, it reveals the end of the paper life-cycle to the people that use paper. Secondly it securely destroys unwanted documents while the authors of those documents witness it. 

Sky has displayed the usual paranoid business approach to customers leaving. In the process damaging the brand and providing some terrible memories for its customers. 

People who have wanted to leave the Sky service have been trapped in sales conversation for over an hour, while the customer service team tries to sell them more products and stop them leaving. This is hard for many people to stand, and some give in and sign up for more services. Its a little like holding on to someones leg when you get dumped - it doesn’t build respect.