Apple's Customer Service Secrets Revealed!

Apparently more people now visit Apple’s 326 stores in a single quarter than the 60 million who visited Walt Disney’s four biggest theme parks last year!

How do they do it? As well as having customer friendly environments, intensive training for employees, and of course, great products, a key element of their success is the culture that they have created, and crucially that they keep reinforcing that helps deliver consistently great customer experiences. 

For example, employees are told (and trained) not to sell, but rather to help customers solve problems. “Your job is to understand all of your customers’ needs—some of which they may not even realize they have,” one training manual says. Interestingly, employees receive no sales commissions and have no sales targets.

This is just one of the key elements highlighted in a great article in the Wall Street Journal that gets to the ‘core’ (‘core’, geddit?) of Apple’s great customer service, and gives some great insights.

Apparently Apple gives it’s people clear guidelines on what to do, and how to do it, when it comes to dealing with customers For example, its “steps of service”  are spelt out in the acronym APPLE:

• Approach customers with a personalized warm welcome
• Probe politely to understand all the customer’s needs
• Present a solution for the customer to take home today
• Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns
• End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return

It’s simple stuff, but it certainly seems to work! There are lots of other insights in the article, and it’s well worth a read.

It certainly got me thinkng and having just returned from Spain on Ryanair the otehr night, it looks as if they use similar methods! Judging from our customer experience on Ryanair, their acronym seems to be:

• Rub up your customers the wrong way
• Yes, go on, all the way
• Apathy is encouraged
• Never bother to try and make them smile
• Approach them with indifference
• Infer it’s them who are the problem
• Remember, we’re right behind you to help you do this!

I know, I know, I’ve ‘ranted’ about them on Business Zone before and that they provide low cost flights, and you get what you pay for, but staff that appear to go out of their way to wind passengers up after a weekend away seems a little strange!

Getting back to the positives of Apple, my take from it is that it’s clear that they are a great example of a business that creates and reinforces an UBER culture – that means…….

• Everyone Understands what’s expected of them and behaves accordingly and consistently as a result
• Systems and processes are Built to create consistently great customer experiences and reinforce that culture
• People are Engaged, Empowered and Encouraged to deliver them
• People are Rewarded and Recognised for doing it!

Actually, thinking about it it, Ryanair are a good example of UBER culture too. You do know what you're going to get with them - you pays your money (plus booking fee!) and takes your choice!

Click here to read an article I’ve written on UBER culture if you’re interested.