Page 98 - The Apple Experience

helping your existing customer. Be sure to check in regularly with the waiting

customer.

The Specialist at the Apple Store who helped me with my MacBook Air

purchase was not the first person who greeted me. She was assigned by the

greeter because she worked at the MacBook table. When a second customer

was also looking for service, my Specialist did not assign it to herself. She

assigned the role to another Specialist. Only when the third customer
approached us did my Specialist assign the task to herself because she knew

she could handle it quickly. All the Specialists I encountered that day

demonstrated this second but crucial step of the process brilliantly and

smoothly.

Step Three: Assign

The final step in this multitasking process is to execute (or assign) the plan

you’ve identified as the best choice during your assessment. If a monitored

wait time is indeed the best plan, then make the wait bearable for the

customer. Offer a glass of water, a brochure, a seat to sit in, or whatever is
relevant in your space and industry. Check in with your waiting customer

every minute. Phrases like, “Thanks for waiting,” “I’m almost ready,” “Can I

do anything while you wait?” are all acceptable check-in statements.

Effective multitasking is like playing chess. You won’t win the game if

you focus only on each play at a time instead of strategizing what could

happen if you make one move over another. Keep your eyes and mind open

to the whole landscape. Anticipate and evolve your moves and strategy based

on what is happening as well as what could happen. Addressing, assessing,

and assigning a plan of action should take only less than a minute once you
put it to practice, and when you do it successfully, your customers will love

you for it. Make your customers—your guests—feel welcomed, entertained,