I’m not usually the first one on my block to buy new gadgets; and the purchasing process isn’t really something I would think of as a potentially memorable customer experience. But this past weekend Apple displayed a stellar example of how it’s done — customer service on steroids.
I’m a PC user by necessity, but the features and size of the new iPad were just too tempting to ignore. So I made up my mind (on Thursday night, a whopping 36 hours before the iPad went on sale) that I was going to take the leap and buy one. I did my homework and was pretty much convinced that there would be lines around the block, shortages of stock, and that driving the 30 miles to the store would be a gigantic waste of a precious Saturday morning. Fortunately my husband knows me, which means once I’ve made up my mind, you better get outta the way, so he said “Well, there’s no harm in trying.” So we dragged our sleepy behinds out of bed on Saturday at 7am, to make it to the store by 8 — an impressive 1 hour before it was set to open.
I’d bet that every employee of the store — some 30 of them — were waiting for us, and each one had a clearly defined assignment. When the line approached the door I was stunned when a smiling blue-shirted guy stepped up, smiled, asked my name and then introduced me to my personal iPad wiz, Aaron. Aaron then led me into the store and explained that he knew and appreciated that I had been waiting in line, so he was there to help me as quickly as I wanted, or he would take as much time as I needed to answer all my questions; and he did, with kindness and patience. Here’s the kicker — he didn’t try to sell me one single thing. He asked if there was anything else he could help me with and only showed me accessories that I asked about. Then as I headed for the door, he reminded me that I could come back any time and he would teach me anything else I needed help with.
I sometimes roll my eyes when I hear people talking about how to build relationships with your customer, and they offer their 5 secrets or a magical formula. It’s not a secret. Just spend a few minutes with Aaron. Think about your own best customer experiences, and, then do that for your own customers. Maybe (probably) Aaron had some training, but if he was faking his interest in providing a memorable customer experience, he deserves an Oscar. His enthusiasm was contagious, his knowledge was amazing, and his genuine interest in establishing a great customer relationship (even with someone old enough to be his Mom) was an experience I had not anticipated and won’t forget when it’s time to buy a new computer.
This is how customer service is done. Think about how you like to be treated and then ratchet it up a notch…. or 10.
By the way, this blog post is brought to you by my magical new iPad. With a little encouragement from Aaron. Thanks, Aaron!
