Page 212 - The Apple Experience

 Reassure the customer that you are here to help.

 Listen and limit your responses to simple reassurances that you are doing so

(e.g., “Uh-huh” and “I understand”).

 Apologize when appropriate (e.g., “On behalf of Apple I would like to

apologize …”).

 Take notes. Even when people are venting, they are often providing
important details. It will save time later and help you listen without

interrupting.

 Acknowledge the customer’s underlying reaction. “I can certainly understand

how frustrating this can be.” “I know this can seem very confusing.”

Inconsistency destroys a brand’s value. Every time a customer interacts

with your brand—on the web, on the phone, or in the store—that customer

is judging the experience. An inconsistent experience could spell disaster for

any brand. Apple doesn’t take any customer touchpoint for granted. Every

experience in the store—whether it happens in the “red zone” (sales floor) or

at the Genius Bar—is planned and practiced down to the exact conversation.
The result is that customers should get a consistent experience in any store, in

any language, each and every time. I say should because, as we’ve discussed, it

doesn’t always happen. But it happens consistently enough to make Apple

one of the world’s premier retailers.

Branding experts will tell you that consistency of experience is one of the

main components for building a lasting brand. For this to happen, though,

every employee must be made responsible for creating and delivering the

experience and fulfilling the brand promise. “Merely explaining and

communicating the experience to employees will not differentiate an
organization from its competitors. Successful organizations need to embed

the experience into the corporate culture, hiring criteria, education programs,