1 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:06,520 Guy: Welcome to Service Design Principles. I'm Guy Martin, joined by the author of the Service 2 00:00:06,520 --> 00:00:11,320 Design Principles series of Books, founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy and Service Design 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,950 Maestro the elegant Daniele Catalanotto. Hi, Daniele! 4 00:00:16,140 --> 00:00:18,900 Daniele: Thanks, Guy. Such a pleasure to be with you today. 5 00:00:19,270 --> 00:00:24,100 Guy: Same here. So each episode we look at some of the principles from your book Service Design 6 00:00:24,100 --> 00:00:30,430 principles 1 to 100. And today we're talking about impersonal services. So in service design, 7 00:00:30,490 --> 00:00:35,440 we often try and remember that the relationships that we have between humans and other humans, 8 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,000 although the reality is that it's often between humans and organizations, and that's where there 9 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:45,280 can be a big opportunity to make a small change to a service to make it less impersonal. So 10 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:46,630 where could we start, Daniele? . 11 00:00:48,270 --> 00:00:51,630 Daniele: Thanks so much for the question. I think it's a very important question because 12 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:58,620 there is this this bug, you know, that we have in our minds, which is we are an organization. 13 00:00:59,850 --> 00:01:06,240 My friend who was a storyteller, he often when when he explained storytelling to organizations, 14 00:01:06,570 --> 00:01:13,320 he often one of the things he says is you might think because you are in an organization, you 15 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:19,500 have to be serious because you are an organization. You can't tell stories just to 16 00:01:19,500 --> 00:01:26,070 remember you, to remind to you. You are human listening, so to speak, lik humans, you know, 17 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:31,110 and and is doing that very well. And that's kind of the reminder that that you brought in and 18 00:01:31,110 --> 00:01:35,910 that I think we we need as maybe the first element is there's this mindset shift that even 19 00:01:35,910 --> 00:01:42,780 if we are an organization it's a it's a bunch of humans that are in it. But to get very practical, 20 00:01:42,780 --> 00:01:47,970 you know, that's always what I love with these tiny principles is that it's stuff that you can 21 00:01:47,970 --> 00:01:48,870 apply right away. 22 00:01:49,410 --> 00:01:55,140 Daniele: And it's one principle is the one which is called ask unnecessary emotional information 23 00:01:55,860 --> 00:02:04,260 and this is basically something that happened to, I think, not something that happened to my wife 24 00:02:04,860 --> 00:02:12,120 when she was, you know, buying her dress for our wedding. That's something very emotional, 25 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:20,070 obviously. And and the guy who sold it to her did something very smart. So she she picked the 26 00:02:20,070 --> 00:02:24,990 dress. She was very happy, you know, And you know, how how how people get into a situation 27 00:02:24,990 --> 00:02:30,150 taking a lot of pictures. It's it's a very emotional and stuff. And so it's already a very 28 00:02:30,150 --> 00:02:37,110 emotional moment. But the guy doing the the sale at the end said one thing that changed 29 00:02:37,110 --> 00:02:45,540 everything for her. He said, what's the future name you'll use after your wedding? And then she 30 00:02:45,540 --> 00:02:51,750 said, Oh, it's going to be Joelle Catalanotto. Okay. So that's what I'm going to write on the 31 00:02:51,750 --> 00:02:58,170 receipt. And so he acknowledged that there was something, you know, that was very personal, 32 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:05,840 that was not necessary, you know, for his he ran it. The Syrian doesn't care if it's the the the 33 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:10,650 the maiden name or the delay, the name that comes after, you know, the systems don't care 34 00:03:10,650 --> 00:03:19,470 about that stuff. But by asking that little unnecessary question, he showed oh, I'm I'm here 35 00:03:19,470 --> 00:03:24,930 I'm a human and I'm interested that a tiny bit in your life. And this changed completely for 36 00:03:24,930 --> 00:03:29,850 her the relationship. So when she came back, she didn't tell me about the dress, which is 37 00:03:29,850 --> 00:03:36,390 interesting. She told me, Did you know what he asked? And then she she explained a lot about 38 00:03:36,390 --> 00:03:39,540 that. And so that's very interesting to me. 39 00:03:40,110 --> 00:03:44,700 Guy: Yeah, he was probably the first to use that name with her as well. Right? 40 00:03:45,270 --> 00:03:47,850 Daniele: Exactly. So imagine how emotional that is. You 41 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:48,330 Guy: Yeah. 42 00:03:47,850 --> 00:03:52,830 Daniele: know, especially obviously, this is a very Swiss thing. I always have to say that 43 00:03:52,830 --> 00:03:57,570 because, you know, in Switzerland, there is kind of this culture of taking the name of more of 44 00:03:57,570 --> 00:04:03,540 one on another can be in both ways, obviously. But it's something that is quite usual and quite 45 00:04:03,540 --> 00:04:09,330 common and that people kind of like the name of the change of name is something that is kind of 46 00:04:09,330 --> 00:04:16,290 a ritual that is that is that is quite emotional for people and therefore for him doing that, he 47 00:04:16,290 --> 00:04:20,940 was the first one to say, I recognize this ritual and we in it together 48 00:04:21,070 --> 00:04:21,360 Guy: Yep. 49 00:04:21,420 --> 00:04:25,230 Daniele: and I'm giving you hints of what will happen, which is very lovely 50 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:32,530 Guy: right? No, that's smart. I mean, maybe it's easy, though, when it's a wedding dress, right? 51 00:04:32,530 --> 00:04:38,290 Because there's already emotion at stake. So is there a way that we can ask him unnecessarily 52 00:04:38,290 --> 00:04:42,280 emotional information when you're a different type of business? 53 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:50,800 Daniele: yeah, I think many businesses do that well. So if it's more you know, salespeople do 54 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:57,460 that very well, they ask about your kids. You know, it's a very simple thing. It's not 55 00:04:57,460 --> 00:05:03,760 necessary at that moment. But but it gives you it's it gives you a bit of a of a context of the 56 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:10,900 life of the of the person, you know. So, for example, when you ask about the kid and it's a 57 00:05:10,900 --> 00:05:15,220 two year old that's usually three year old, you know, it gives you a lot of information about 58 00:05:15,220 --> 00:05:22,060 what the person is going through in her life. You know, and it also helps kind of to to then 59 00:05:22,060 --> 00:05:28,940 empathize back and say, oh, okay, So you are you have the tough nights. I see. Yeah. Okay. Well, 60 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:35,080 you manage such quite well. You know, and and that's kind of like that's one it's totally 61 00:05:35,140 --> 00:05:37,360 necessary in a way, you know, because 62 00:05:39,070 --> 00:05:46,450 people don't need to know that. But even if it's emotional, you know, it, it can also give a bit 63 00:05:46,450 --> 00:05:50,620 of a of a business value because you then understand better what the person is going 64 00:05:50,620 --> 00:05:58,300 through. And therefore, you know that, you know, emotionally, you know, they are maybe less awake 65 00:05:58,390 --> 00:06:03,280 than the usual guy would be. And that's kind of an information that's that obviously you can ask, 66 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:09,700 obviously being smart about it. You know, it's a the usual stuff is looking at at wedding rings 67 00:06:09,700 --> 00:06:10,150 and this kind 68 00:06:10,100 --> 00:06:10,530 Guy: Mm 69 00:06:10,150 --> 00:06:15,240 Daniele: of stuff like yeah seeing that on the laptop there is a kid and say oh a kid photo 70 00:06:15,260 --> 00:06:21,340 they go how many do you have or what's their age? You know, and this kind of stuff. It's 71 00:06:21,340 --> 00:06:27,040 definitely not necessary, but it's a small stuff that you can do. And I've seen that done by 72 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,830 sales guys and it's it changes the 73 00:06:29,830 --> 00:06:30,460 Daniele: conversation 74 00:06:30,620 --> 00:06:34,980 Guy: Yeah. I was going to say, I think salespeople know this intuitively, right? I mean, 75 00:06:34,980 --> 00:06:41,040 even though I know it's kind of like a tactic or it's a it's a sales method to, to, you know, 76 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:48,330 make it personal. I still fall for it. I remember buying our car and my daughter was 77 00:06:49,020 --> 00:06:53,700 quite a lot younger than she is now. And the salesperson, you know, Yeah, I saw, you know, do 78 00:06:53,700 --> 00:06:58,200 you have a family and, you know, all these questions. But then he started to tailor the 79 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:04,710 style of the car to the needs that he could perceive. So it's like, oh, you know, we're 80 00:07:04,710 --> 00:07:10,260 talking about a sunroof like a moonroof. And in a way, it's like, okay, that's a bit of a luxury. 81 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:15,000 It's like, well, have you ever been carsick in the car? Because sometimes looking up through 82 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:19,170 the moonroof can make you less carsick. And kids often get carsick sometimes, especially when 83 00:07:19,170 --> 00:07:24,570 they're in the back. So I kind of knew it was like, okay, you're leading me down this path 84 00:07:24,570 --> 00:07:30,710 here, but I'm on board, right? I'm with you on this journey because I feel it. You know, you've 85 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:36,270 made it slightly emotional. I'm aware of it, which is like, you know, placebos still work, 86 00:07:36,270 --> 00:07:42,330 even though, you know, it's a placebo in some cases. So I was aware, but I still sort of fell 87 00:07:42,330 --> 00:07:46,290 for it. Got Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, this is probably the right car for me. I probably should 88 00:07:46,470 --> 00:07:49,130 invest a little bit more in that in that moonroof. 89 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:56,290 Daniele: yeah And, and it's not because we know that it's a tactic that we don't see the value 90 00:07:56,290 --> 00:07:56,980 in it. You know, 91 00:07:57,020 --> 00:07:57,380 Guy: No. 92 00:07:57,730 --> 00:08:03,100 Daniele: when you say hello, how are you, We all know this is just being polite, you know, but we 93 00:08:03,100 --> 00:08:09,580 still answer the question and say today I'm good. In fact, at the moment I'm not so good. You know, 94 00:08:09,580 --> 00:08:14,650 it's it's it's rituals, you know, and recognizing that sometimes these tactics are 95 00:08:14,650 --> 00:08:20,660 also a bit rituals and that they have to their value also to make it more personal. you know, 96 00:08:20,660 --> 00:08:26,930 when I'm thinking about personal services, I always have in mind my my very good friends. And 97 00:08:27,050 --> 00:08:32,420 so I only say the names of people who are doing very good stuff or or name of brands that are 98 00:08:32,420 --> 00:08:40,160 doing exceptional stuff. So I will say a name, uh, which is my very good friend Patrizia. She 99 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:47,870 will recognize herself when she is working at IKEA in Japan at the moment. And the and she, I 100 00:08:47,870 --> 00:08:51,710 worked back in, back in the days and her with her in a consultancy and 101 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:51,860 Guy: Okay. 102 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:57,980 Daniele: she was the project manager, you know, who was able to transform projects into 103 00:08:57,980 --> 00:09:06,650 relationships. And one of the things that she did and which I love to observe is her PS in her 104 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:16,340 work emails. Her PS was always something about the day, something personal, you know, where so 105 00:09:16,550 --> 00:09:21,740 but she said, you know, Oh, PS, just came back from holidays, super excited to get started 106 00:09:21,740 --> 00:09:28,430 again, you know. But but then she was specific, you know, she said, oh, just back from Bali, so 107 00:09:28,430 --> 00:09:34,400 happy. And then what would happen is that she would have PS conversations. So there was always 108 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:37,040 kind of like the business conversation and the 109 00:09:36,990 --> 00:09:37,190 Guy: Yep. 110 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:38,600 Daniele: PS conversation happening. 111 00:09:38,550 --> 00:09:39,180 Guy: Interesting 112 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:45,230 Daniele: And so she got really deep into into relationships with with the people she she 113 00:09:45,230 --> 00:09:52,850 worked with so that, you know, when she left, you know, people were like very sad that she was 114 00:09:52,850 --> 00:09:58,070 the person leaving because they said, no, no, no, We we are not here because of the consultancy. 115 00:09:58,490 --> 00:10:01,700 You know, we didn't stay because of the consultancy. We stayed because of her. 116 00:10:02,020 --> 00:10:02,460 Guy: Right? 117 00:10:02,510 --> 00:10:07,610 Daniele: And that's that's kind of magic, you know. And so this is another example of how this 118 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:15,290 unnecessary personal information, sometimes it's asking one, but sometimes it's it's better also 119 00:10:15,310 --> 00:10:21,680 to just give one, you know, giving one as we are people of reciprocity. You know, you I'm giving 120 00:10:21,680 --> 00:10:27,260 you a personal information. What will happen is you will give me you will give me one back, and 121 00:10:27,260 --> 00:10:35,180 then suddenly we are in a level which is not anymore. Guy is speaking to Daniele, Guy from 122 00:10:35,180 --> 00:10:38,960 Neolux, Daniele from Swiss Innovation Academy. It's very serious and stuff, 123 00:10:38,700 --> 00:10:39,090 Guy: Mm hmm. 124 00:10:39,650 --> 00:10:42,650 Daniele: but now it's we're talking about our kids, you know, and 125 00:10:42,250 --> 00:10:42,480 Guy: Yeah. 126 00:10:42,770 --> 00:10:45,320 Daniele: our little struggles and it's very different. 127 00:10:46,650 --> 00:10:52,730 Guy: No, that's really interesting. I mean, it's. It's good advice for personal relationship 128 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:58,220 management as well, or building personal relationships, because, you know, I mentioned at 129 00:10:58,220 --> 00:11:04,130 the start it humans are dealing with other humans.But at work sometimes we see the roles 130 00:11:04,490 --> 00:11:10,580 and we say even like, like our boss or people in other departments are that's the, the, the 131 00:11:10,580 --> 00:11:18,380 developers and it's quite impersonal, as you say. But when you start to make those connections, 132 00:11:18,380 --> 00:11:24,520 then it can be just as easy, like a piece. Then it starts to break down those those professional 133 00:11:24,620 --> 00:11:29,390 organizational walls and you get real relationships out of it. And that actually 134 00:11:30,020 --> 00:11:32,030 benefits your professional life as well. Right. 135 00:11:32,310 --> 00:11:33,060 Daniele: absolutely 136 00:11:32,310 --> 00:11:37,920 Daniele: And, and it's it's a very good reminder that you're giving us here, whi is that, 137 00:11:38,820 --> 00:11:43,680 you know, there are kind of these different levels of services. And so now we would we being 138 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:48,690 a bit more meta but I think it's it's a very good reminder. So there is this very simple 139 00:11:48,690 --> 00:11:53,610 practical level, you know, that are these services and principles stuff that you can do to 140 00:11:54,480 --> 00:12:00,630 help customers, you know, feel better and feel more respected. And then there is kind of like 141 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:06,030 the other side, which is, Oh, but now I can use that at work to, you know, to smooth into 142 00:12:06,030 --> 00:12:12,450 relationships at work. And then there is the last level, which is that if it works for work 143 00:12:12,450 --> 00:12:21,000 and making customers happy, why not use it in family life, parties and stuff, you know? And so 144 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:26,550 there are kind of these levels and and I think it's a very good reminder here to say once 145 00:12:26,550 --> 00:12:32,370 you've experimented with this kind of stuff, you know, let it flow to the other parts of your 146 00:12:32,370 --> 00:12:37,590 life because that's when you will get the most value of it. And it's true for services and it's 147 00:12:37,590 --> 00:12:43,200 true for many practices. You know, doing mindfulness when you do it just 5 minutes a day 148 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:47,820 and then suddenly you start to be mindful doing your work, then you start to be mindful doing 149 00:12:47,820 --> 00:12:52,980 your parenting stuff, you know, and then suddenly it gets it gets a bit further. But 150 00:12:52,980 --> 00:12:57,360 that's that's definitely a thing to see that it can spread out. But 151 00:12:57,140 --> 00:12:59,090 Guy: Mm hmm. Everything's interconnected. 152 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:00,300 Daniele: yeah, indeed, indeed. 153 00:13:00,650 --> 00:13:06,380 Guy: Yeah. Although I think if I presented my wife with a service blueprint on how to make a 154 00:13:06,710 --> 00:13:11,930 nice evening at home or something that might not go down so well, bu for some people, it might. 155 00:13:12,150 --> 00:13:16,880 Daniele: yeah, indeed. And maybe the service blueprint is not the best idea. Definitely. But 156 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:25,370 you know, maybe doing a5y with your wife on the, on a parenting issue that you're both faced with, 157 00:13:25,390 --> 00:13:27,210 you know is a good exercise. You know, 158 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:27,680 Guy: know, 159 00:13:27,780 --> 00:13:28,200 Daniele: I always 160 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:34,050 Daniele: tell this story to to to the design studies I have is when I teach them how to do 161 00:13:34,050 --> 00:13:40,350 workshops and and affinity mapping. So and this kind of stuff, I always take them, tell them, 162 00:13:40,710 --> 00:13:45,690 you know, the day my wife announced that we're going to have a kid, obviously there was the 163 00:13:45,690 --> 00:13:51,090 emotional moment and then there was the oh shit moment is we going to have a kids, is going to 164 00:13:51,090 --> 00:13:57,000 be serious and we're not prepared at all. And and I tell them, Do you know what I did? I took 165 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:03,030 out Miro, which is one of these whiteboard apps, a we just packed all the sticky notes of all 166 00:14:03,030 --> 00:14:08,430 what was carrying in our heads, you know, and just put it there and then started to map it 167 00:14:08,610 --> 00:14:14,220 into, okay, this is stuff that we it's not our responsibility. Oh, these are more principles 168 00:14:14,220 --> 00:14:16,110 that we want to teach. 169 00:14:16,110 --> 00:14:16,430 Guy: want. 170 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:22,230 Daniele: These are very administrative tasks that we need to do next week and next month, 171 00:14:22,230 --> 00:14:27,510 etc.. And then suddenly we were like, okay, now we can be happy again about having a kids.And 172 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:33,530 and it shows that, you know, these methods obviously not all, but they can spread out in, 173 00:14:33,660 --> 00:14:34,920 in the different parts of your life. 174 00:14:35,230 --> 00:14:40,180 Guy: Yeah. I've heard stories of people where they have with. They've got young children, 175 00:14:40,180 --> 00:14:44,830 they've got toddlers, and suddenly they're able to much better communicate with the executive 176 00:14:44,830 --> 00:14:50,050 teams. I don't know if there's any relationship or correlation there, but I've heard these 177 00:14:50,050 --> 00:14:50,860 stories, you know, 178 00:14:51,460 --> 00:14:53,900 Daniele: I've heard them do it 179 00:14:56,020 --> 00:15:02,620 but if we'd came back to to the more daily stuff because the podcast is called Service Design 180 00:15:02,620 --> 00:15:11,200 Principles so I'm going to go back to to Earth level and, and maybe mentioned one one last of 181 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:18,190 these principles in this impersonal topic, one which is very dear to me, which is this idea of 182 00:15:18,580 --> 00:15:25,870 Daniele: making it personal is different for every culture. And, you know, in in Switzerland 183 00:15:26,290 --> 00:15:32,500 we have kind of a fascination sometimes for for the states because obviously, you know, the 184 00:15:32,500 --> 00:15:40,480 states have such a big, impressive culture that sometimes we steal stuff from them, but 185 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:41,440 sometimes also 186 00:15:43,570 --> 00:15:50,050 stuff gets brought into our culture. And an example is how some said some cafes that come 187 00:15:50,050 --> 00:15:55,840 from from the states in Switzerland ask you a question that is very weird for us Swiss. It's 188 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:02,110 you know, they they ask you what's your name, what's your first name? And then they want to 189 00:16:02,110 --> 00:16:07,960 put it on the coffee and the first time I had this interaction and it was a time where, you 190 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:12,100 know, we didn't have all the movies about the states as as open 191 00:16:11,950 --> 00:16:12,340 Guy: Mm hmm. 192 00:16:12,110 --> 00:16:19,600 Daniele: as today. It feels very weird to me because I was like, Who are you? Why do you want 193 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,080 to need what? Why do you need my first name? 194 00:16:23,790 --> 00:16:24,490 Guy: Mm hmm. 195 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:25,690 Daniele: What's happening here? 196 00:16:25,630 --> 00:16:25,840 Guy: That's 197 00:16:25,690 --> 00:16:25,960 Daniele: You know? 198 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:26,710 Guy: very personal. 199 00:16:26,530 --> 00:16:32,850 Daniele: Yeah. And, and you know, this is a chain and you're talking to me in so in, in 200 00:16:32,860 --> 00:16:38,830 French, we have two levels. You know, we have "tu", which is you, but we know each other, and 201 00:16:38,830 --> 00:16:45,460 we have "vous", which is you, but it's very polite and, and we don't know each other. And so 202 00:16:45,460 --> 00:16:48,340 she's speaking more to me in two, which means 203 00:16:48,230 --> 00:16:48,680 Guy: Mm 204 00:16:48,790 --> 00:16:50,980 Daniele: we we are besties already, you know, like,hey , 205 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:51,350 Guy: hmm. 206 00:16:51,580 --> 00:16:52,780 Daniele: we're not besties here. 207 00:16:52,820 --> 00:16:54,050 Guy: Yeah. Slow down a bit. 208 00:16:54,910 --> 00:16:59,110 Daniele: Slow down a bit. And then I realized, oh, know, this is just a cultural element that 209 00:16:59,110 --> 00:16:59,530 comes from 210 00:16:59,480 --> 00:16:59,620 Guy: Mm 211 00:16:59,530 --> 00:17:00,100 Daniele: states. 212 00:16:59,620 --> 00:16:59,810 Guy: hmm. 213 00:17:00,490 --> 00:17:05,650 Daniele: And that at that time didn't make any sense in Switzerland. And because people are 214 00:17:05,650 --> 00:17:11,380 just like, Oh, but we don't have the cultural reference for that. And it felt very weird. So I 215 00:17:11,380 --> 00:17:20,560 think it brings us back that sometimes being personal in one country will look very 216 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:27,400 impersonal in another country, and that's okay. And so we can we have to be mindful of these 217 00:17:27,550 --> 00:17:33,220 cultural elements that have what's personal in Japan is not the same thing that and what's 218 00:17:33,220 --> 00:17:38,590 personal in Switzerland than what's personal. And to states. And obviously then you can go 219 00:17:38,590 --> 00:17:44,560 even regional. You know, what's personal in Texas is not the same then what's personal in 220 00:17:44,950 --> 00:17:47,530 the region of view in Switzerland and 221 00:17:47,250 --> 00:17:47,560 Guy: Run. 222 00:17:47,650 --> 00:17:55,210 Daniele: and being mindful of that takes a bit of energy. But I think if you can be personal in 223 00:17:55,210 --> 00:18:01,030 the regional cultures specific way, then you're very strong 224 00:18:02,150 --> 00:18:06,140 Guy: And I mean, you're talking about culture as, like, national culture or regional culture. But 225 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,350 there are other types of cultures as well to be aware of, too. You know, 226 00:18:09,430 --> 00:18:09,640 Daniele: you. 227 00:18:09,590 --> 00:18:15,320 Guy: the way people are brought up with their religious upbringing or, you know, just, just, 228 00:18:16,850 --> 00:18:22,010 you know, their education. So people will have a different culture if they've gone through 229 00:18:22,220 --> 00:18:27,590 business school compared to if they've gone through trade school. You know, it's, uh. So 230 00:18:27,590 --> 00:18:33,140 being aware of those those different cultures as well, I think is super important. And I can talk 231 00:18:33,140 --> 00:18:40,280 about culture for a long time, but I'll try and restrain myself here. But one more thing on that, 232 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:45,680 though, was you mentioned before about the ritual of Hi, how are you? And that's that's 233 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:51,890 been something that that my wife, who is born in Denmark, she doesn't understand or she finds 234 00:18:51,890 --> 00:18:55,970 irritating, is like, Hi, how are you? It's like you don't really know one another, know how? How 235 00:18:55,970 --> 00:19:01,760 am I? You know, would you be happy if I came round and said, Well, act I've got a you know, 236 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:06,800 I'm sore in my legs and I've got this rash and, you know, you really don't want to know that, so 237 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:13,220 don't ask. So it's though those that awareness is really interesting, even on something as 238 00:19:13,220 --> 00:19:18,410 simple as Hi, how are you? As like, okay. Well, it doesn't mean the same for everybody. Not 239 00:19:18,410 --> 00:19:20,030 everyone has that has that ritual. 240 00:19:20,380 --> 00:19:27,110 Daniele: absolutely. B we come to a close, uh, I know that you are very aware of the culture 241 00:19:27,110 --> 00:19:35,960 differences you've trained into these aspects, especially in cultural communication. And what's 242 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:43,370 one, one kind of nuggets maybe that you have, you know, that when it comes to making things 243 00:19:43,370 --> 00:19:50,540 personal, but working in cross cultures, you know, because it can be very scary, you know, 244 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:50,900 Guy: Mm hmm. 245 00:19:51,710 --> 00:19:56,990 Daniele: I know that, you know, the way we say hello is very different and very in various 246 00:19:56,990 --> 00:19:57,440 cultures. 247 00:19:59,270 --> 00:20:04,310 What's for you? Maybe a tip or something that you say to avoid that In French we said faux 248 00:20:04,190 --> 00:20:04,370 Guy: Faux 249 00:20:04,310 --> 00:20:04,610 Daniele: pas, 250 00:20:04,370 --> 00:20:05,080 Guy: pas. Mm 251 00:20:04,820 --> 00:20:05,320 Daniele: you know, A 252 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:05,770 Guy: hmm. 253 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:06,680 Daniele: Yeah, a mistake, 254 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:06,860 Guy: Yep. 255 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:11,630 Daniele: you know, is there is are some tips that you can give to people. So it's, you know, 256 00:20:11,750 --> 00:20:18,800 oh, you're going to work on a global scale. Just do these things to make sure that you're the way 257 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,840 you're going to be personal still is person 258 00:20:21,510 --> 00:20:27,450 Guy: Sure we could make a whole podcast about some of this stuff as well. But, I mean, I guess 259 00:20:27,450 --> 00:20:34,830 at a very basic level is it's okay to research the cultures that you'll be dealing with. You 260 00:20:34,830 --> 00:20:39,780 know, if you know that you're going to be talking like if you're from the US and you're 261 00:20:39,780 --> 00:20:44,430 going to be dealing with someone from Germany, it's okay to get hints for dealing with people 262 00:20:44,430 --> 00:20:50,610 from Germany. A lot of the advice will be stereotypical, but stereotypes come from 263 00:20:50,610 --> 00:20:54,480 somewhere. You know that there's a there's an element of truth, and you'll always have people 264 00:20:54,480 --> 00:21:01,620 that don't meet the stereotype and that that sort of deviate from from the expected cultural 265 00:21:01,620 --> 00:21:07,230 norms of that of that stereotype. But if you know nothing else about the person except from 266 00:21:07,230 --> 00:21:12,120 where they're from, you can make some assumptions and you can sort of step in a 267 00:21:12,120 --> 00:21:16,590 direction where you go, oh, okay, well, they're probably going to respond well to this. So if 268 00:21:16,590 --> 00:21:21,840 we're talking about Germany for example, and we're talking about formal and informal before 269 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:30,990 with with pronouns addressing German people by their last name can be quite important and a 270 00:21:30,990 --> 00:21:38,310 sign of respect. When you go into Scandinavia and Australia and the US, that's not as as 271 00:21:38,310 --> 00:21:42,780 important. So you, you meet someone for the first time and you say, Oh, hi Jim, or Hi 272 00:21:43,110 --> 00:21:50,070 Daniele, but when you deal with someone from Germany for the first time or and I suppose it's 273 00:21:50,070 --> 00:21:56,280 the same in Switzerland or in regions of Switzerland, then Herr Catalanotto would come 274 00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:02,940 across much better than Daniele. And it's just that sign of respect. And then if they respond 275 00:22:03,210 --> 00:22:09,060 and say, Thanks Guy, then maybe that's an opening to say, okay, maybe we can be on a first 276 00:22:09,060 --> 00:22:17,340 name basis now. So a bit bit of a long winded thing, but I mean, do the research and and 277 00:22:17,370 --> 00:22:23,355 there's plenty of resources out there and most of them are good. says, just to say, yes, it may 278 00:22:23,355 --> 00:22:28,455 be stereotypical, but if you have nothing else to go on, it does come from somewhere. So it's 279 00:22:28,455 --> 00:22:32,415 not a it will mean that you probably make less faux pas 280 00:22:32,750 --> 00:22:40,040 Daniele: yeah. So it's okay to research, learn to stereotype stereotypes, play a bit with them, 281 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:46,700 and at least the worst thing that may happen is that people say, Oh, I'm not that kind of Swiss 282 00:22:46,605 --> 00:22:46,785 Guy: That 283 00:22:46,700 --> 00:22:47,750 Daniele: guy. It's okay. 284 00:22:47,445 --> 00:22:47,775 Guy: yeah, 285 00:22:48,380 --> 00:22:48,560 Daniele: And 286 00:22:48,645 --> 00:22:48,885 Guy: yeah. 287 00:22:48,660 --> 00:22:55,970 Daniele: but at the same time, I will see that a guy has been someone who has done his homework 288 00:22:56,270 --> 00:23:00,290 and he read that people take out their shoes in Switzerland and 289 00:23:00,615 --> 00:23:00,975 Guy: Right. 290 00:23:00,710 --> 00:23:01,790 Daniele: so and they will tell him 291 00:23:01,905 --> 00:23:02,075 Guy: And 292 00:23:01,970 --> 00:23:02,080 Daniele: it's 293 00:23:02,085 --> 00:23:02,145 Guy: I 294 00:23:02,090 --> 00:23:02,330 Daniele: okay. 295 00:23:02,145 --> 00:23:02,475 Guy: was kind 296 00:23:02,330 --> 00:23:02,550 Daniele: Guy 297 00:23:02,475 --> 00:23:02,555 Guy: of. 298 00:23:02,550 --> 00:23:03,860 Daniele: Yeah, I don't mean that often. 299 00:23:03,685 --> 00:23:11,895 Guy: Hmm. Yeah. I mean that it's um, I guess if again, if we use Germans or Swiss as a 300 00:23:11,895 --> 00:23:19,275 stereotype, they're seen as very timely. Being punctual is extremely important, but not to 301 00:23:19,275 --> 00:23:23,445 everyone. But if you're punctual, that's going to go down well in any case, right. 302 00:23:23,390 --> 00:23:23,980 Daniele: And it, 303 00:23:23,865 --> 00:23:24,315 Guy: So 304 00:23:23,980 --> 00:23:24,190 Daniele: it, it 305 00:23:24,885 --> 00:23:28,995 Guy: it's also about adapting your own style to the people that you're communicating with as 306 00:23:28,995 --> 00:23:32,145 well. And that's, you know, being willing to do that. 307 00:23:33,025 --> 00:23:40,225 Daniele: also, I'm already excited to, to read, uh, to have some readings for my next travel. 308 00:23:41,863 --> 00:23:46,903 Guy: One more thing I wanted to talk about, Daniele, was the principle of "Just Remember Me". 309 00:23:47,562 --> 00:23:49,452 Can you go a bit more into "Just Remember Me"? 310 00:23:50,241 --> 00:23:57,831 Daniele: Yeah. You know, there is this great moment where when when you're new in a city and 311 00:23:57,831 --> 00:24:05,121 you visit a little sort of one of those little services, you know, a bakery or a cafe or 312 00:24:05,121 --> 00:24:10,821 something like that, and you enter the service and in front of you, there is someone else who 313 00:24:10,821 --> 00:24:17,421 you see is a regular and you see a kind of very different interaction happening, which is the 314 00:24:17,421 --> 00:24:25,341 person to say hello and the person who is doing the service or the barriers, the baker or I 315 00:24:25,341 --> 00:24:30,651 don't know how you call these guys in English, just giving the person directly what she wants. 316 00:24:30,951 --> 00:24:38,001 You know, it's like, Oh, as usual, Pam. Because she remembers the person and she says, and it is 317 00:24:38,001 --> 00:24:43,941 kind of like and say hello to the kids, you know? And then you're like, okay, this is a this is a 318 00:24:43,941 --> 00:24:50,511 cafe I want to stay in. You know, because if I come often enough, they will remember me, you 319 00:24:50,511 --> 00:24:58,741 know, And it's a much more different perspective than if you go to Starbucks and, you know, you 320 00:24:58,761 --> 00:25:06,861 and they ask you your name, misspell it, and then call you Danilo and you have to remember 321 00:25:06,861 --> 00:25:13,371 that, oh, yes, they will never, never get my Italian name right. That's okay. And next time 322 00:25:13,371 --> 00:25:17,481 you come, they will misspell it in another creative way. So it's kind of like a bit of a 323 00:25:17,481 --> 00:25:18,261 difference there 324 00:25:18,472 --> 00:25:23,632 Guy: Right. So for these small businesses, that makes a lot of sense, right? Because you get to 325 00:25:23,632 --> 00:25:29,392 know all of your customers. But for bigger businesses, how scalable is it to be so personal? 326 00:25:29,609 --> 00:25:37,449 Daniele: Indeed today, it's not so much of a big problem anymore. Back in the days when when we 327 00:25:37,449 --> 00:25:44,349 were and it was a bit more difficult. But today was, you know, all of the CRMs and the 328 00:25:44,349 --> 00:25:51,069 automations and all of that stuff, it's it's pretty easy. It's pretty easy. Obviously, you 329 00:25:51,069 --> 00:25:57,549 know, it's easier, I think, for small businesses to do it in a very purposeful way, you know, in 330 00:25:57,549 --> 00:26:05,859 a way that feels genuine, that feels warm and welcoming than the the automation that then, you 331 00:26:05,859 --> 00:26:12,159 know, takes your last name for first name and then misses everything up. You know, that's 332 00:26:12,369 --> 00:26:17,649 that's a bit of a danger when you automate the automated things. But definitely it's possible 333 00:26:17,649 --> 00:26:24,519 to do, uh, and the one thing to remember is when you do this kind of automated thing is to, to 334 00:26:24,519 --> 00:26:31,149 always think, obviously I'm going to do it in the, uh, I want to remember the person, but I 335 00:26:31,149 --> 00:26:39,399 might not have the data for every person. So how do I fall back? Uh, or in a way that is, that 336 00:26:39,399 --> 00:26:47,529 has a bit of grace. So, and a small example is one from my own newsletter where, uh, when 337 00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:56,379 I don't have the name of the person, it just says, Hey, lovely human, you know, which is a 338 00:26:56,469 --> 00:27:03,309 big difference from, hey, uh, first name tag missing, which makes 339 00:27:03,263 --> 00:27:03,783 Guy: it's 340 00:27:03,579 --> 00:27:09,975 Daniele: okay, he doesn't recognize me at all, you know, And at least if you don't remember the 341 00:27:09,975 --> 00:27:16,665 person personally, at least you can remember something of the humanity, you know? And, like, 342 00:27:16,885 --> 00:27:26,805 lovely human is very much different than. Hey, sir. Hello, Uh, madam. Which might seem very 343 00:27:26,758 --> 00:27:27,138 Guy: Mm. 344 00:27:27,285 --> 00:27:31,785 Daniele: obviously polite, but very boring, you know? How can you also play with those things 345 00:27:32,115 --> 00:27:40,665 when you fail to be personal? Uh, how can you still do something? It remembers me. Y know, I'm 346 00:27:40,665 --> 00:27:47,445 really bad with names, but usually people, at least they hope, don't notice it so much because 347 00:27:47,445 --> 00:27:54,645 instead of, you know, being like, Hey, Nick,you just say, Hey, awesome guy. You know, at least 348 00:27:54,645 --> 00:27:59,145 in French, we have this kind of like, tiny things that you can say, like Big Boss, you know, 349 00:27:59,355 --> 00:28:03,435 and it's kind of a compliment, you know, which replaces the first name. 350 00:28:03,290 --> 00:28:03,770 Guy: Right? 351 00:28:04,065 --> 00:28:09,465 Daniele: And at least the person, you know, is is kind of, oh, yeah, he sees a quality, you 352 00:28:09,465 --> 00:28:16,695 know, and therefore, even then, you know, even if it's impersonal, you still can, you know, 353 00:28:17,325 --> 00:28:22,685 greet in a way that is maybe not the first name because you don't remember it, but you remember 354 00:28:22,695 --> 00:28:24,575 that it's a great musician, you know, And 355 00:28:24,590 --> 00:28:24,830 Guy: You 356 00:28:24,675 --> 00:28:26,385 Daniele: it's like, hey, Guitar Hero. 357 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:26,870 Guy: know, Right. 358 00:28:27,415 --> 00:28:27,565 Daniele: And 359 00:28:27,530 --> 00:28:27,890 Guy: Yeah. 360 00:28:27,755 --> 00:28:33,177 Daniele: then it's like, Oh, the person recognized me And so I'm curious, you know, in, 361 00:28:33,177 --> 00:28:40,017 in your own experiences because I always tell you that you are a service design expert as you 362 00:28:40,197 --> 00:28:48,417 use a lot of, of services, obviously, and in your own experiences using different services, 363 00:28:48,417 --> 00:28:54,747 what is something where you feel like, oh, now I'm recognized as myself, you know, and this 364 00:28:55,017 --> 00:29:02,007 makes me feel seen not just as a, uh, customer number 2 to 3, 365 00:29:01,758 --> 00:29:02,288 Guy: Mm hmm. 366 00:29:02,277 --> 00:29:03,087 Daniele: but as 367 00:29:03,367 --> 00:29:03,987 Daniele: a guy. 368 00:29:03,738 --> 00:29:10,488 Guy: Mm. I mean, I think it's this kind of links into some of the other principles that we've 369 00:29:10,488 --> 00:29:15,948 talked about as well, in that if you have the information about me, like, if you have some 370 00:29:15,948 --> 00:29:21,648 information about, like my date of birth, for example, then it's not difficult to use it. So 371 00:29:21,918 --> 00:29:26,838 if I'm engaged with a, uh, like a larger organization, which I know is not going to 372 00:29:26,838 --> 00:29:32,718 really know me personally, but I know that they have my some of my personal information, I guess 373 00:29:32,718 --> 00:29:38,718 I get a bit frustrated when they don't utilize that, you know, or, or I get surprised when they 374 00:29:38,718 --> 00:29:44,388 do. So if I get a, you know, we saw it was your birthday. Happy birthday. Okay, that's that's 375 00:29:44,388 --> 00:29:49,668 great. You've got my date of birth. And so you've used it in a way that that is it kind of 376 00:29:49,668 --> 00:29:56,748 personalizes or helps build the relationship. And then when you have another interaction and 377 00:29:56,748 --> 00:30:03,708 maybe you've bought several things of the same type from this organization before the last 378 00:30:03,708 --> 00:30:08,528 three times. So the fourth time they may say, you know, did you want to buy this again? Or 379 00:30:08,538 --> 00:30:13,248 here's something else that we we think you might like, you know, some simple recommendations, but 380 00:30:13,248 --> 00:30:17,958 really, based on the previous interactions I've had with them, then that's that's a surprising 381 00:30:17,958 --> 00:30:22,908 thing to me. And it should I don't think it should be surprising in a way, because if you've 382 00:30:22,908 --> 00:30:28,578 got that information, then then, you know, utilize it. Yeah, and I guess that's why I liked 383 00:30:28,578 --> 00:30:34,518 that that, that, that principle of remember me. It's not just remember me and my name, but also 384 00:30:34,518 --> 00:30:41,358 remember my preferences. So there is, um, there's an idea in we're going to talk about 385 00:30:41,358 --> 00:30:49,698 hotels again because we always end up here in our hotel. There was a technology that that that 386 00:30:49,698 --> 00:30:55,458 was coming out. And I think this is still probably is where you could control the 387 00:30:55,458 --> 00:31:02,208 temperature of the room through automation so that you could save money when the room wasn't 388 00:31:02,208 --> 00:31:09,138 occupied and you could provide good comfort when you knew the room was occupied. Now, if you have 389 00:31:09,138 --> 00:31:13,818 that linked up to the property management system, so in the reservation system, you know who's 390 00:31:13,818 --> 00:31:19,428 arriving and you know, okay, well, this person is coming from maybe the Middle East. And we 391 00:31:19,428 --> 00:31:24,468 know that every time they come here, they sit there. The air conditioner to 19 degrees right. 392 00:31:24,468 --> 00:31:29,628 It's quite cool because they're used to very strong air conditioning. The next time the 393 00:31:29,628 --> 00:31:35,178 person comes, then we should preset their air conditioning to 19 degrees because we know this 394 00:31:35,178 --> 00:31:40,218 about them. We've got that information and we're used to it. So that's that's something about 395 00:31:40,218 --> 00:31:42,918 remembering me and remembering my preferences as well. 396 00:31:43,063 --> 00:31:43,353 Daniele: Yeah 397 00:31:43,063 --> 00:31:45,913 Daniele: , absolutely. It's crazy. You know, how much 398 00:31:47,173 --> 00:31:54,643 data or pieces of information we share. You know that people organizations have about us stored 399 00:31:54,643 --> 00:31:59,203 somewhere, you know, and they never get used in the right way. You know, it's kind of funny 400 00:31:59,203 --> 00:32:06,793 where when it's like you, you have the the birthday of the person, but then you ask them to 401 00:32:06,793 --> 00:32:12,343 fill a form and you don't pre fill it with the information you already have. Obviously, it's a 402 00:32:12,343 --> 00:32:17,533 bit technical. It's it's the work to make it happen like that, you know but, but this kind of 403 00:32:17,533 --> 00:32:18,793 pre feeling thing 404 00:32:20,503 --> 00:32:25,483 makes a lot of sense, especially when you're a big organization and that's a that's a very 405 00:32:26,353 --> 00:32:35,083 smart and lovely way to show we've seen you we remember you We do the work for you you know and 406 00:32:35,083 --> 00:32:38,443 just using the data properly is kind of like a sign 407 00:32:38,224 --> 00:32:38,524 Guy: hmm. 408 00:32:38,443 --> 00:32:38,713 Daniele: of. 409 00:32:38,524 --> 00:32:39,694 Guy: We respect your time. 410 00:32:39,403 --> 00:32:44,563 Daniele: Exactly. It's a sign of respect, you know, uh, and especially for big organizations, 411 00:32:44,563 --> 00:32:50,203 I think for, for smaller organizations, we, we are much, much more forgiving, you know, And we 412 00:32:50,203 --> 00:32:56,233 think, okay, you know, if my bakery doesn't remember exactly my birthday, it's okay. You 413 00:32:56,233 --> 00:33:00,613 know, they, they, they don't have the the software tools and the things to do it. 414 00:33:00,973 --> 00:33:07,063 Strangely enough, the bakery remembers your birthday. Even if they don't have a software 415 00:33:07,363 --> 00:33:08,473 because they have less 416 00:33:08,424 --> 00:33:08,854 Guy: Yeah, 417 00:33:08,473 --> 00:33:08,983 Daniele: people 418 00:33:08,904 --> 00:33:09,054 Guy: they're 419 00:33:09,013 --> 00:33:09,203 Daniele: to 420 00:33:09,054 --> 00:33:09,624 Guy: more likely 421 00:33:09,303 --> 00:33:09,413 Daniele: it. 422 00:33:09,624 --> 00:33:09,924 Guy: to. 423 00:33:10,483 --> 00:33:10,933 Daniele: But 424 00:33:10,584 --> 00:33:10,944 Guy: Yeah, 425 00:33:10,933 --> 00:33:11,683 Daniele: that that's kind of like 426 00:33:11,604 --> 00:33:11,904 Guy: because 427 00:33:11,683 --> 00:33:12,093 Daniele: a 428 00:33:11,904 --> 00:33:12,294 Guy: they care. 429 00:33:12,523 --> 00:33:12,793 Daniele: Yeah 430 00:33:12,774 --> 00:33:13,074 Guy: Yeah. 431 00:33:12,793 --> 00:33:18,073 Daniele: because they care. Exactly. And uh, and I think that's, that's kind of like another lens 432 00:33:18,313 --> 00:33:26,083 is, you know, what, what can you do with the data you have about people to show that you care. 433 00:33:26,683 --> 00:33:32,143 You know, sometimes it's just not using it or saying to people, We have this data, we're going 434 00:33:32,143 --> 00:33:38,563 to use it for for, you know, we have to use it from a legal stand of, uh, from a legal point of 435 00:33:38,563 --> 00:33:45,223 view for validating your account and stuff. But now we've deleted it. You know, that's a very 436 00:33:45,223 --> 00:33:50,713 respectful thing to do so that in other times it's we have the data, so we're going to feel 437 00:33:50,713 --> 00:33:57,043 stuff for you because we already have it, you know, and, and I think and sometimes it's just, 438 00:33:57,043 --> 00:34:02,233 you know, revealing that, yes, we have a lot of data about you and this is all of the data we 439 00:34:02,233 --> 00:34:07,663 have about you, especially for these big organizations there, that the play you the way 440 00:34:07,663 --> 00:34:14,893 you play with the data is a bit of a way to showing this is how much we respect you. And 441 00:34:15,163 --> 00:34:17,383 it's quite an interesting, interesting bit. 442 00:34:17,756 --> 00:34:22,556 Guy: Well, I'll certainly remember you. So thanks again for today, Daniele. It's been a 443 00:34:22,556 --> 00:34:23,426 great conversation. 444 00:34:23,853 --> 00:34:28,533 Daniele: yeah, obviously. And I always remember to to misspell your name and say, "ɡiː", 445 00:34:28,533 --> 00:34:33,243 instead of "ɡaɪ" because you know, it, it adds a little bit of fun. 446 00:34:33,090 --> 00:34:33,840 Guy: Je ne sais quoi. 447 00:34:34,060 --> 00:34:34,900 Daniele: Absolutely 448 00:34:36,096 --> 00:34:41,556 Guy: All right. Thanks, Daniele. And, and hopefully our listeners remember us for the next 449 00:34:41,556 --> 00:34:41,976 episode.