Page 117 - The Apple Experience

Think back to a bad customer experience. If you’re like

most people, you will not have to think back that far. Bad customer service

seems to be the norm these days. Brands like Apple that are hailed as
customer service champs do things differently. It starts with inspirational

leadership on the executive and management levels. Leaders who fail to

inspire their teams and to clearly communicate their vision will never build

companies that are admired for their superior customer experience. How can

they? Employees who are discouraged, dejected, and demoralized have zero

chance of engaging customers and making them feel good about their

experience with the brand.
The first secret to offering insanely great customer service is to make sure

your employees are happy, motivated, and passionate. But passion and energy

take you only so far. Step two is to master the skills required to make your

customers feel special. What you say and how you say it will make all the

difference. In this section we begin with the Apple five steps of service that

all employees are trained to follow in every customer interaction. These steps

are so important that I urge you to study them and promptly call a meeting
to share the steps with your coworkers and staff. For your brand to succeed in

this hypercompetitive global economy, every person in the organization must

internalize these steps and live these principles every day.