I wrote a post late yesterday about the difference in providing a service versus an experience.
And something that happened this morning is a clear example of the difference…
My mother just moved to South Carolina (you may have been following my tweets as I drove down to help her get settled and am here now).
This morning, the "cable guy" came to set up her tv, internet and telephone.
Now…my mother wasn't here. She was out with one of my Team Sandy members who lives in SC and who drove two hours to come and see my Mum and help get her settled and "show her around" (she lives TWO HOURS away).
Talk about providing an "experience" — for me, for my Mum — and without cost.
Then the cable guy came. His name is Jason.
Jason not only hooked up everything, he took his shoes off when entering my Mum's home, gave me a great recommendation for a car detail place for her car, for an exterminator who is reasonable and provides an 8 month warranty against bugs AND, if that wasn't enough, he saw that I was unpacking and breaking down boxes and offered to take them to the local recycling because he was "driving right by" and saw "that [I] have a lot to do".
Jason's an employee of the local cable company, which is a monopoly. He had nothing to gain by offering, and doing, all this for us.
Service or experience?