Page 122 - The Apple Experience

friendly smile. How could Apple welcome everyone? Instead of one greeter,
ten people had been positioned at the front of the store. Instead of blue

shirts, they were wearing red shirts to kick off the holiday shopping season

and to stand out in the sea of customers. The warm welcome played such an

important role in the Apple customer experience that it was never

compromised, not even on the busiest shopping day of the year.

My experiment didn’t end there. I had one more stop to test the theory

that a warm welcome makes people feel special. Before we left the mall, I
took my young daughters to a children’s furniture store that does not have a

stellar reputation for its customer interactions. The chain carries nicely built

products, but it lacks the engaging exchange between customer and staff. We

all walked in, I started my stopwatch, and we waited, and waited, and waited.

Not one person approached us, even though several employees passed directly

in front of us. I let my kids loose, and they seemed to have a good time

pretend-playing with the faux kitchens and miniature houses that were set
up. Yet no one took the opportunity to welcome us, provide information on

the products, or make a sale. There were only fifteen customers in the entire

store and five employees on the floor. I passed all five employees, and not one

said as much as hello. Finally, after nine minutes “Lindsey” asked, “Are you

finding everything OK?” I believe Lindsey addressed me only because I made

eye contact with her. In other words, I gave her nonverbal permission to

greet me. To top it off, the employees did not seem happy to be there either.

It’s no wonder there were only fifteen people in the store on such a busy day.

Customers simply didn’t feel welcome.
Approach with a warm welcome makes sense in nearly every

conversation, off-line and online. For example, how quickly do you respond

to customers who contact your company or comment on your product on

Twitter or Facebook? For example, Pottery Barn, a division of Williams-