SPURspectives

I got to use my other extended warranty recently ‹ I’ve bought two in my life. I wrote about the Apple warranty in a previous post, this one is for my Sprint cell phone. Now don’t run to another post just because I said Sprint. Poor Sprint. My hometown telco, struggling to survive. I love an underdog.

So my Treo cell phone managed to crawl into the washing machine. It did not like this. My dear wife asked, with much hope, if it may still be under warranty. I laughed knowing that it wasn’t as I would never buy an extended warranty but I looked at our bill just to satisfy her curiosity. Low and behold, I HAD elected for the extended warranty!

I found the 800 number for Asurion on the Sprint website and called them. On the other end was the nicest, most helpful person I’ve spoken with in a very long time. She was elated I called. She sounded genuinely excited that she could send me a new phone ASAP. She was filled with joy that she could help me.

Joy. There it was. This woman’s telephone demeanor added value to Asurion’s brand as well as Sprint’s. For that moment, her voice inflection became the manifestation of my brand experience with Sprint and Asurion, and it was good!

Joy. Now there’s a brand element. Joy goes way beyond helpful, friendly, courteous, and kind (sorry, recovering Boy Scout leader). Everyone enjoys good support personnel, but to hear pure joy is truly remarkable. It’s a true differentiator. It’s what makes me continue to root for Sprint and love Asurion.

Joy. Add that to your experience design arsenal. Powerful stuff.

Tags: asurion, brand, brand element, branding, communication, customer engagement, customer interation, customer service, joy, marketing, sprint, treo