Page 78 - The Apple Experience

The average company sputters along with an NPS rating of 5 to 10
percent (some even have negative ratings, which means there are more

detractors than promoters). Many brands admired for their service, like

Southwest Airlines, fall in the 60 percent range. But the real standouts—net

promoters—such as Apple, Amazon, Costco, Trader Joe’s, or USAA in the

financial services industry, push the NPS score to more than 80 percent.

That’s the equivalent word-of-mouth of nine people talking up the service to

their friends while only one person is feeling let down. I’ve talked to
individual Apple managers who say they only want to see nine or ten.

Anything less is considered a failure and requires corrective action

immediately.

Apple has been using the NPS feedback loop for years to improve the

way they do business—to create a team of employees who love working for

the company and to cultivate a group of loyal customers who sing their

praises. Everyone is focused on one goal: treat customers so well those
customers become loyal promoters of the brand. “NPS was a natural fit for

Apple,” said former Apple head of retail Ron Johnson. “It has become part
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of the DNA of our retail stores.” If you start with the ultimate question, it

will influence your hiring decision. “You will begin with people who care

about a customer’s heart, not just their pocketbook,” according to Johnson.

When Ron Johnson and Steve Jobs began bouncing around the idea of a

retail store, there were no computer retailer stores to compare. They had all

failed miserably. Remember that when Apple opened its first store, the iPod

was still in development and the Macbook, iPhone, and iPad were years
away. So to get people in the door, Apple had to rely on giving people an

experience that would enrich their lives. The stores wouldn’t just sell

computers. They would inform, illuminate, and inspire. They would create

such a delightful interchange between the employees and customers that the