Being in the zone
We have all experienced it at one time of our lives.
It could be on the sporting field or in the classroom or in a choir for example.
The feeling of being in the zone.
Or what psychologist, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls Flow.
According to Wikipedia,
Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.
In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.
I have experienced this many time in my life with my writing and creative thinking.
But here is the leap.
What if, leaders, Startups or SME’s could apply the flow principles to their customer experience?
Imagine the reaction from customer or consumers if when they were using your product they described themselves as being in a flow like state?
You can imagine for example people using a mobile game when they are fully immersed as being in such a condition.
So it is possible.
Here is a starting thought.
Owen Schaffer (2013) proposed 7 flow conditions:
– Knowing what to do
– Knowing how to do it
– Knowing how well you are doing
– Knowing where to go (if navigation is involved)
– High perceived challenges
– High perceived skills
– Freedom from distractions
The challenge therefore is for leaders and customer experience designers to transform these principles into a repeatable customer service experience.
The pay-offs would be immense both for the customer and the company.