How to Design Service Endings That Don't Stink / Joe Macleod / Ep. #207

Ever felt trapped in a service you couldn't escape... Trying to end a subscription only to face a frustrating maze of hurdles? Let's face it, service endings are often the worst experience ever. The good news is that it doesn't have to be this way. In fact, well-designed endings can be a secret weapon for your business. Think about it – when customers inevitably move on, what's the final impression they take with them? Sadly, most companies neglect or wilfully ignore this crucial stage of the customer lifecycle. They hide the cancel button, throw obstacles in your path, and make leaving feel like a punishment. It's a missed opportunity because, historically, businesses have focused all their energy on acquiring new customers rather than on gracefully saying goodbye. But what if we flipped the script? What if endings felt like graduations, where we celebrate customers moving on to new adventures? Could those who leave become our biggest fans? This isn't just a pipe dream. Joe Macleod, who's literally written the book on this topic (twice!), joins us on the Show to share how to design endings that leave a positive, lasting impact. We'll unpack the secrets of great endings, how they differ from beginnings, and the undeniable business case for getting this right. Trust me, this episode is an eye-opener. Once you hear it, you'll see opportunities everywhere to turn departing customers into brand ambassadors. So, if you don't want all your hard work building good customer relationships to go to waste when they leave, tune in and learn how to make every goodbye a fond farewell (and maybe even a new beginning!). --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 207 05:30 About Joe and Endings 07:00 Ending Journey 08:30 Joe's Passion for Endings 15:00 Businesses & Endings 18:00 Businesses & Status Quo? 20:00 Reassurance Endings 24:30 Divorce example 27:00 Measuring quality of an ending 35:00 Endings & Memberships 38:00 Alumni or Death Phase? 43:00 Healthcare Offboarding Example 47:00 Ex-Customers = Value 51:00 Importance of Alumnis 53:00 Pondering about Endings 55:00 3rd Book Preview 57:00 Giveaway announcement 58:00 Resources 59:00 Key Takeaways --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmacleod/ Endineering by Joe Macleod (Book) - https://www.andend.co/endineeringbook Ends by Joe Macleod (book) - https://www.andend.co/book www.andend.co --- [ 3. CONTEST ] --- To enter the contest, head over to the video version of this conversation on YouTube and leave a comment there to answer the question posed in the episode. https://go.servicedesignshow.com/207-youtube --- [ 4. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle