Even Apple has some room to improve
Walter Issacson’s biography of Steve Jobs reads like a Grissom novel. It’s an intriguing page turner and the perfect chronicle to the most interesting and successful career of our lifetime. Jobs was a perfectionist. No detail was too small for his intimidating scrutiny. He pushed, ranted and swore unmercifully at employees and suppliers until they satisfied what he was after. He was sometimes wrong, though rarely, but he never ever compromised. What he got in return were iconic products and, at the time of his death, the most valuable company on earth. We were most intrigued by the creation of the Apple retail store. How the idea emerged and how it evolved to create a totally new retail experience for customers and a profoundly profitable division for the company. This in spite of a number of board members who thought Jobs as crazy for wanting to open retail stores and for some “experts” who considered Apple stores to be a wildly radical idea that was doomed to failure. Today, we were intrigued by news that Apple has appointed a new head of their retail operations. The piece we saw said, “Apple’s minimalist retail stores, like its gadgets, get generally rave reviews. So while it may be tempting for the company’s newly tapped head of retail not to mess with the formula, judging from complaints posted on consumer message boards, there may still be room for improvement.” It went on to say that most common complaints on online message boards like AppleInsider.com, MacForums.com and Yelp.com seem to be directed toward the store’s staff: a blue-shirted army some customers contend can come across as smug and often arrogant, to the point of alienating customers who aren’t particular tech savvy.” Blogger Joe Manna writes, “The ...
Apple store lavishes service on disgruntled iPhone user
The customer enters a teeming Apple store one week after the release of the new iPhone with a head of steam built up over a seven-day period of unalloyed product frustration. “I want my money back,” the customer says to the first associate by the door. “This phone is a complete failure on every level. And don’t even try to tell me I’m holding it wrong.” The associate in harm’s way, a maybe-at-most-23-year-old woman, changes her bright smile into a look of sorrowful concern. “That’s terrible you’ve been having trouble. I’m so sorry. Let me help you right here if you want to return it and get your money back,” she says. “One thing, though--you don’t have to, but would you mind telling me what’s been going on with it? I’d really like to know.” This initial rejoinder is a pitch-perfect response. She apologizes before doing or saying anything else. She is immediately acknowledging there is not going to be an argument or hoops for the customer to jump through to get satisfaction—in this case wanting his money back. She then does a quick verbal pirouette to express genuine interest in what the problems have been. After the customer finishes his description of dropped calls, email issues, lost data, and more, the associate again apologizes, sympathizing with the customer’s plight. “I know that must be really tough when you’re on a business call or sitting waiting for an important email,” she offers. “If you have a minute, there’s something I can do that might help quite a bit by just resetting the connection—you won’t lose any data—want me to give it ...
