SERVICE VS. EXPERIENCE
The Vital
Difference
Between
Service And
Experience
L
ike it or not, the world is a buyer’s
market right now. It is so easy to
change service providers, change
suppliers or alter virtually any
transaction these days that it can
be easy for service providers to forget the
golden rule: customer experience is king.
What is customer experience, though?
How does the experience you provide to
a customer differ from the service you
are providing? How can you keep those
customers coming back long into the
future when they have the choice of going
somewhere else and likely getting a better
economic deal for themselves than you
can offer?
Let’s get one thing out of the way early
on: anyone can provide a service. Since
anyone can provide a service, that
commoditizes it. It takes away value.
Experience, however, is not something
everyone can provide. Experiences are
unique and leave an impression (whether
that impression is good or bad is another
story). Increasingly, customers and clients
are looking for an experience rather than
a simple service. And when they find what
they are looking for, they aren’t shy about
making it known to the world either.
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So what is the difference between
providing a customer a service or an
experience? A few key things separate an
experience from a service: phone. Here are some quick tips which
can be used in a variety of situations
to get more out of those customer
interactions:
• It creates a “wow” for the customer
that is memorable in some way. Often
one that they aren’t getting at other
places where they have been serviced. • Use names if possible. People like to be
acknowledged.
• It has little to no impact on
productivity or efficiency. An
experience isn’t something that’s going
to add time or effort to the customer.
That means no additional phone calls,
no extra time in line, no additional
information required, etc.
• There is simplicity in execution. No
workload is added to the employees.
• It is low cost. Experiences are often
simply a matter of being sociable and
listening to customers, not adding
something to their bill or yours.
Any time a customer deals with one
of your representatives, there is an
opportunity to improve their day and
give them a memorable experience rather
than simply doing the bare minimum
and getting them out the door or off the
• Avoid short, one-word answers.
This includes phone and email
communications. Take the time to
write a little bit more and it will go a
long way with your clients.
• Make eye contact.
• Be friendly and interact with
customers when you see them; don’t
wait for them to approach.
• Always ask if you can assist with
anything else or help them in some
way. It never hurts to ask and it opens
a lot of doors.
Ultimately, giving a customer an
experience will keep them coming back
through your door again and again. It
satisfies both parties. Taking a little bit of
extra time to be sociable and go the extra
mile isn’t going to hurt the bottom line,
but it could certainly improve it. +