Nearly 15 years ago, a gentleman by the name of Stan Phelps entered my world.

He had worked for years in marketing and had recently written a new book. He was looking to make an entry into the association community.

His book?

Purple Goldfish.

There have been numerous books that have stayed with me over the years, both fiction and nonfiction, but Stan’s book won me over. It really spoke to me and got to my association heart.

The main premise of the book is based on a Creole term called “lagniappe,” which means “a little extra.” Stan researched a number of organizations and found those that went the extra mile for their customers.

Think about the chocolate chip cookie from DoubleTree or the over-the-top customer service from Chick-fil-A, always followed by the phrase, “My pleasure.”

At the time I was introduced to the book, I was already deep into making significant changes at the Association Executives of North Carolina. We were growing membership and consistently achieving Net Promoter Scores that were off the charts.

Part of what I gathered from Stan and his book is that there is a huge difference between providing customer service and providing a customer experience.

That was what we were trying to do at AENC.

We wanted all of our events, both education and networking, to create a sense of FOMO: fear of missing out.

And it was working.

Attendance at events was at an all-time high. Better yet, the overall event satisfaction data was moving upward as well.

Just recently, I received that level of customer experience from a company I had never had any relationship with before.

The company was the eye wear company Zenni.

Their brand promise was a good pair of glasses at a good price.

I had thought about using them for a while, but it was not until one of my F3 brothers mentioned that he had used them for his family that I finally decided to give them a try.

I was in dire need of new glasses, but I knew that even with my insurance, I would probably be looking at north of $300 for a new pair.

Once I went to the eye doctor, I asked about my options and also said I was planning to get a second opinion. I left with all of my measurements and went home to explore the Zenni website.

Their website experience was amazing.

Not only did they have a crazy number of choices, but they also had technology that allowed you to “try on” glasses using your computer camera.

After making my selection, I went through the ordering process.

It was so simple.

Input your measurements. Confirm your selection. Choose any additional options.

Things like scratch resistance, transition lenses, and other upgrades.

I selected all of the above.

At the end of the day, I was able to get all of those options, with free shipping, for nearly $200 less than the ones from my doctor’s office.

I did not really think much about my Zenni experience after I received the glasses. They were delivered as expected, fit great, and allowed me to see clearly again.

Now, rewind to a few weeks ago.

I was attending the ASAE Annual Meeting in Indianapolis and had a little incident with a Lime scooter.

And by “little incident,” I mean I did an amazing job breaking my glasses.

Luckily, the lenses survived.

When I contacted Zenni, I was reminded that I had not purchased the extended coverage and that the general warranty only protects against manufacturer defects.

Totally fair.

However, because they felt bad about what happened, they agreed to send me a new set of frames, along with instructions on how to replace the lenses.

Within days, I had a new pair of glasses again.

That is a Purple Goldfish.

That is lagniappe.

That is the little extra that turns a simple transaction into a memorable experience.

And as associations, we can learn so much from our corporate brethren about how to provide better member experiences.

Why has your website not changed much since the early 2000s?

Why are you not embracing automation and artificial intelligence to improve the way members interact with or engage with your association?

Why are we so afraid of going above and beyond to provide member satisfaction, even if that means asking fewer questions and occasionally giving something away for free to a member who had an issue with one of our products or services?

The member experience is one of the few things an association can control.

You cannot control the economy.

You cannot control the political climate.

You cannot control every outside force affecting your members, your industry, or your profession.

But you can control how your members feel when they interact with you.

You can control whether the registration process is easy.

You can control whether the website is intuitive.

You can control whether staff are empowered to solve problems.

You can control whether members feel seen, valued, and taken care of.

And sometimes, the thing they remember most is not the program, the product, or the policy.

Sometimes it is the little extra.

The unexpected gesture.

The moment when the organization could have said, “Sorry, that’s not covered,” but instead chose to say, “Let’s see how we can help.”

That is the difference between customer service and member experience.

And that may be the Purple Goldfish your members remember.