Posted on 02/21/2015 1:17:41 PM PST by Star Traveler
Apple is the fastest growing retailer in history and has dominated the holy covet of retail metrics, sales per square foot, almost since its inception, which currently sits at $4,551.
Pair that with rampant expansion plans that puts the technology giant at 420+ stores around the world, and we're talking some serious revenue numbers, approximately $170 billion worth (2013).
Keeping all that in mind, more and more retailers are trying to figure out Apple's "secret sauce" when it comes to its retail experience, specifically when it comes to customer service, hoping to inspire the same degree of customer loyalty or "cult following" that Apple has.
In this post, I'll dissect some of the core elements that Apples uses to train its retail staff when it comes to delivering a great customer experience so that you as a small business retailer can walk away with some gems of how you can rethink customer service in your own store to inspire greater brand loyalty.
(Excerpt) Read more at shopify.com ...
WELL ... it's that Apple goes "above and beyond" with their customer service. They make you happy, even when you're bringing in a "problem" to their store!
Just this morning ... my iPad went into an infinite reboot loop! I couldnt get it going. It had been acting a little funny on a few other things, but nothing big. And now it just quit. I just got out of the Apple Store, where they got it going again ... BUT ... they are ordering me a new iPad to replace this one, since it had been working a little funny before.
Apples customer service is great! You cant get better.
Just a note on that to other people, normally a replacement like that would be $300 replacement costs (originally, with my extras I ordered, it was $800). I just got it for free today! (Its being shipped now).
You cant go wrong with Apples excellent customer service. The entire time from the iPad going down, to getting it going again at Apples store, and ordering a new one ... was about one hour.
That includes going back home first, from Starbucks, where it went bad, then heading back out to the Apple Store, to being seen inside the store within five minutes of arriving, to having it all done 15 minutes later!
Hey ... Swordmaker ... people just gotta hear about Apple’s EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE!
When my credit card number was stolen by an HP computer employee who used it for $$$ of iTunes, Apple refused to stop honoring the orders and wouldn’t release the person’s name. HP also refused to cooperate with police. Both companies have lost my business forever.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
I was at the Woodland Hills Mall Apple Store, and as soon as the store opened in the mall, people were flooding in to the store and doing business. I think they had around 15 EMPLOYEES on the floor, maybe 20!
The store had customers from the “get-go”!
NOW ... the hilarious thing, is that right down the mall, there was a Microsoft tablet store. I think that store might have had more square feet in the store than the Apple Store. There were only three employees in that store, and about five customers ... and all the rest of the room in the store was EMPTY SPACE ...no customers! ... LOL ...
The Apple Store had people right in the front, the SECOND the store was open and it remained packed ... with customers from then on!
I will never understand why people love their products and non-serivce; "Hi I'm stupid, will you hold my hand and take care of all my computer issues for me, make me wait two weeks while you very smart people fix my computer, and talk down to me when I ask you to explain in detail just what it is you will be doing for $300."
I'll buy a Dell from Best Buy any day and take care of any issues or upgrades myself, thank you. If my wife would quit buying Apple crap for our kids I'd never have to set foot in those places again.
Park Place Lexus in Plano, TX must have cloned Apple’s approach. I know business executives who cite them as an example of customer service here in Dallas. (I’m not affiliated with them, just a very satisfied customer.)
Apple also knocks it out of the park, of course.
Apple should have bought Radio Shack. They could have gutted out all the stores and then rebuilt them as Apple Stores. The typical Radio Shack store is about the space that Apple needs.
We desperately need thousands and thousands of Apple stores.
Just dont go and say anything disparaging about homosexuality.
I’ve had Apples since my first computer many years ago.
I like to buy a new one every few years, and pass on the “old” one to one of my kids or grandkids. I think they are all still in use.
My experience is that Apple users are extremely needy. They are always trying to shoe-horn Windows apps into the Mac. They are always having problems with Outlook or our enterprise system. The standard answer to a Mac user is “We don’t know” because support people don’t use Macs.
We bought a Macbook Pro for one of our developers and she doesn’t even use it anymore. She went back to Windows. All our Mac users have a backup Windows box.
Jobs started it. Blow jobs continues it.
If you have tremendous margins, it’s easy to kiss customer butts and come up smelling, if not like a rose, then OK.
apple support sucks if you ask me. (typing on a 13in Mac Book Pro)
I may go back to Big Blue on the next ‘puter.
The “secret sauce” is that Apple is a cult and its retail employees are the true believers. Of course, its a technology cult, but it definitely has a religious tinge to it.
Ummm, it’s not up to a store to stop honoring a card ... LOL ... I don’t know where you got that idea!
FOR EXAMPLE, let’s say I walk into Lowe’s one day and buy something from them. Some employee at Lowe’s steals my credit card number, and then, charges start showing up at Home Depot’s online ordering site.
If I contact Home Depot, they are not going to “stop taking orders” from credit cards that CLEAR THE BANK, which are issued an “authorization number” from the bank. That authorization number guarantees payment to Home Depot. Why on earth would Home Depot refuse the payment when it is guaranteed by the bank??!
NO ... that is not what you do. What you do is call the bank immediately, at which point the bank cancels that card and they issue you a new card!
I’m not sure why you don’t know the proper procedure!
I have never liked the Mac interface. Just don’t. Actually don’t like is too mild a term: I can’t stand it. It must be a genetic thing.
“Customer Service” ... and ... “Homosexuality” ... you’ve got some weird ideas about customer service! ... LOL ...
What I find “more interesting” is the APPLE-HATER CULT that goes around jumping in on all the Apple threads ... LOL ...
Ummm ... and that is related to their excellent customer service ... how ... :-) ...
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