Last week I gave the Oakland A’s some love about some solid determination and business practices surrounding my interest in procuring a luxury box for a birthday event . This week I decided its time to show Apple some love once again.
But first I wanted to point out that tomorrow Firefox is releasing a new version of their popular browser. I use FireFox as do most smart people. It runs on Windows, Linux, as well as Mac OS. Be sure to check it out as it blows other browsers out of the water and is more intuitive and reliable than Safouri or dreaded Explorer. Now on to the Apple Love fest.
It was a week ago that Steve Jobs made the much anticipated announcement of the soon to be released 3G Iphone. Despite a lot of skeptics looking to detract from the new release, the general buzz has been that the new features, design, functionality, and more importantly pricing ($199-$299) signals more smooth sailing for Apple into the smart phone market. Business Week summed up how Apple is in good position to essentially pillage the smart phone market.
Personally I am pretty floored with the success Apple has had and the direction they have taken. In time I think its likely we will see various models to hit different target segments, but its impressive to say the least that in about a year Iphone’s are faster, cheaper, have more memory, and have nurtured the development community with its SDK.
When the new phone comes out I will probably upgrade and be happy about it. The fact that I am getting a better performing phone with double the memory at half the price speaks volumes to the company’s competitive stratedgy.
Next up on my Apple Love A Palooza is the actual Apple stores. Sunday morning something tragic happened. My work laptop broke. It was a hand me down from another employee so I didn’t look like that big of an idiot. I was actually kind of excited, hoping to get upgraded to a MacBook Pro but also to see how good Apple’s customer service is.
Tour of Apple store
I had heard some amazing things, which is rare when it comes to customer service in general so I was intersted to see how it would go. Below is a break down of my experience
10:00 am– Speak to co workers. Book an 11:15 am appointment at Apple Genuis Bar. For those who dont know this where people can actually help you. What a freaking concept, making the person you really need to see accessible.
11:15 am- There are about 5-6 geniuses working at a time. They have big beautiful flat screens with appointments showing if they are on time or behind schedule. Considering I got a same day appointment and had to wait less than 5 minutes past my scheduled time, I must say I was really impressed.
11:20 AM- The genuis diagnoses the problem. It didn’t take multiple people and having me wait and a run bunch of self diagnostics or trouble shooting ( i hate that shit, if its broken and i know it, stop having me try to fix it). I didn’t have to produce the original receipt or warranty. He simply makes me sign one piece of paper and says depending on when the replacement part comes in… this could be fixed today or later in the week. I am amazed that in less than what would be 2 songs on the radio I am in and out of the store.
1:30PM – My boss and our CEO, does not like the idea of me being computer less for awhile. I go back to buy a new computer which I will sadly give away when mine is repaired. I speak to the lady who handles our small business accounts. She brings me a new computer and charges it to our corporate card. I am out once again less than 10 minutes.
5:00 PM- A call from the Apple store prompts me to come in. My computer is fixed which kind of sucks because I was beginning to fall in love with the new I just bought. I go in, they get it for me. I sign a piece of paper and have it explained that some other parts were replaced to make it look newer. I am cool with that. Babes like new looking computers. Once again I am out in 10 minutes.
While this doesn’t sound that remarkable, my mother recently had to send back a laptop to Sony. She had to ship it to them and constantly inquire about its progress of being fixed. For over 3 weeks she borrowed my sisters computer and when it finally came back nearly a month later, it still wasn’t all the way fixed. She thought about sending it back but decided she couldn’t wait another month and decided to get a Mac next time around
Apple just gets it, like no other hardware maker before it has. The products are user friendly and the stores are just as enjoyable as the products.
For those of who don’t know, Apple store employees wear various bright color shirts with simple sentences telling you what they do. Orange shirts say “I know People” and can direct you to the right person. Baby blue shirts say “I could talk about this stuff for hours” and are worn buy the floor reps. The Genuis bar people have a Navy Blue shirt with management having a separate color. All in all there seems to be 20-35 employees in the small stores every time I go there. Getting someone to help you is never a problem. There is no register or line because each floor rep can process your order. Upon placing an order you get an email of your receipt right away.
The employees are usually the exact opposite of Frye’s electronics employees (helpful, speak English, have good hygiene, know what they are talking about, are candid, etc). All in all I have spent maybe 45 minutes in Apple stores in the past calender year (counting today) and have made 5 different purchases totaling $5000.
As someone who hates going shopping, dealing with crowds, and working with not so helpful employees, the Apple store is the one safe haven in the mall that puts me at ease (they also seem to attract good looking babes and employees too). All of the products are easy to find, plugged into the internet, and have great literature and web content about them. Essentially once you get into the store and are interested, the well oiled machine of educated and abundant employees, awesome marketing, great products, and lack of logistical hurdles like bad floor layout or long lines, allows you to make your purchase efficiently and without incident.
The most amazing thing is that every time I go in there, there is handful of people who seem absolutely befuddled. And by befuddled I mean they are either really old and have never owned a computer or are younger but are pretty much as senial for fighting technology this long. This is traditionally retail’s worst nightmare. 1 million questions, a long learning curve, and their jaw will drop when they hear the price. They seem to loathe technology and will look for every reason why its too complicated, too expensive, or just not worth it.
Yet every time I go in the loud mouth skeptical person who still is mastering the remote control after 25 years, has a crowd of Apple employees slowly but surely winning them over. I don’t know how they have the patience of the will to do it, but sure enough every time its something I witness.
While my ode to the Apple store is a little excessive its well warranted considering the typical painful experience I endure when making a high end purchase. I get in, I get help, I get a product I like, I get out ….usually all in 10 minutes.
