App–Titude Test – Daniel 23

 

[For back story go here: Story so far at 27 July 2020 and more recent episodes especially this one.]

[Relevant back story links also within text.]

Daniel sat in his car outside his house. This might be pushing it a bit, he thought, but it was the next thing on his Crown App to do list so there was no stopping him now. So far Crown Apps had helped him pack the bag he’d need to stay outside Chrissy’s house for 48 hours, formulate a list of demands, bullet point the phrases he would use in order to persuade each suspected member of the household to do as he wished and indicate at what level he should escalate the situation all the way up to and including getting the police involved. 

It also outlined what would be the situation for him and his family in the weeks ahead, both if he were successful at getting Daisy back and if he were unsuccessful, and if he were actually arrested in the attempt. This latter scenario had been played out in the ‘Things To Do Theoretically’ list which was effectively the ‘cause and effect’ part of the app.

Crown Apps had enabled him to mind-map his thoughts going forward and he felt more and more confident in what he was doing. Having done all this and more, he now felt he knew the app backwards and had seen everything in a new light. He’d even scored the technology 4.5 out of five on the star rating and while he felt a bit guilty about doing this for something he was actually working on he also reassured himself that the mark was pretty truthful given that this was based on independent use and not something the company would ever ever in a million years actually sanction should be done on their platform.

The journey to Chrissy’s was about an hour or so and Daniel had calculated that by already being in the car with everything ready when he made the initial phone call he’d be able to get everything in motion in the quickest and sanest way possible. Not for him the phone argument or wind up leaving him fuming around his flat, throwing stupid things into a hold-all and promising to throttle anyone who got in his way. Not for him even the steady drip drip of asking nicely, making suggestions and still not getting anywhere at all in the next week. This was about action, all or nothing, or perhaps all or anything close to all that was possible. That was what Crown Apps was all about, right?

So this was it. Step one at the top of his tree diagram of possibilities. The phone call when he would state his intention. Crown’s award winning coaches and psychologists of success who’d given their unique insight into the app advised a friendly, casual approach at first which could be effectively ramped up using fully explained rhetorical techniques and well researched information if required.

He rang and Chrissy picked up. Of course she would pick up, because as Crown suggested and enabled him to do so, he phoned her at the most effective time based on what he knew of her lifestyle, timetable and preferences.

"Hi Chrissy, how are you?”

“Fine, thanks fine, you?”

“Yeah, good thanks. I was wondering if I might be able to pick up Daisy and, you know, have her stay with me for a bit?”

Slight pause. Daniel expected that. Which way down the tree diagram would he have to click?

“Have you spoken to your local school? Would she have a place there?”

Daniel clicked the ‘Who’s involved’ part of his Crown App. “Yep and yes,” he said.

“I’m impressed.”

“Got it all worked out.”

“So when do you want to pick her up?"

“ASAP.”

Slight pause. Finger hovering. Tree waiting.

“Fine by me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah why not?” said Chrissy. “She’s barely been at the school here, she hates it already and I’ve really got too much to do than try and figure something else out. I was wondering about calling you up over it actually.”

“R-right…”

“I’ll tell her and pack her bag and you can take her.”

“C-Cool.”

“Tell you what, give us an hour and a half and I’ll see she’s had tea before the pick up.”

“Ex… cellent…”

“Oh and sorry about the French trip and stuff.”

“Erm…”

“Do you want that phone back? The one from her case?”

“Yeahh…. That would be good.”

Daniel hung up the phone and blinked in surprise. This was a far better result that he could have expected, even with extensive use of the scenario planner. Could Crown truly be the secret to everyone’s success? There again he felt like he should knock off point five from the score he’d given as the App had offered no indication of how to respond if everything worked out fine. He’d barely strung a word together after Chrissy said he could have Daisy back.

He flicked out of Crown apps, and wondered briefly what to do with the extra time he’d just earned.  He didn’t wonder for long. That was another great thing about Crown apps – if you needed good back up and a master plan that wouldn’t fail, you had it laid out before you. If you didn’t you could just ignore it and play Candy Crush instead.