Customer Service Review: The Apple Store
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When entering an Apple store, the first thing you’ll undoubtedly notice is the design. Apple prides itself on its technology’s ultra-simplistic style which is carried into store design. Covered in shiny sleek surfaces with glass and light grey tones, the only bold colour to be seen is the t-shirts worn by the assistants. This is great from a customer service perspective, as it makes them easy to find and impossible to embarrassingly mistake a customer for a member of staff. Each and every product is laid out for you to try, so you can find the product you want – even if you weren’t sure when you entered. With so much choice, it would be difficult to know the differences between an iPad 4 and an iPad Air if it weren’t for the incredibly accommodating assistants who are only too happy to help. In an Apple store, you’re guaranteed to find a product that suits your needs.
I must admit I was sceptical at first, and somewhat opposed to change. Windows has served me well and the idea of having to wrap my head around a brand new setup seemed like a very daunting prospect. Between you and I, I did sit for around fifteen minutes at an Apple Mac looking for the start button. This did initially put me off but with progressively more products being released requiring Apple software – and with a little peer pressure from friends – I decided to give it a second chance and get an iPad.
Personally, I don’t know much about computers – so I knew I would need some help, but simultaneously didn’t want to pretend to understand the assistants’ technical lingo. Apple understands this, which is why handy devices like the iPad are created to be as user-friendly as possible – all you need to decide on is the size of memory and the colour. It didn’t even come with a novel of instructions, which seemed far too easy – so I thought I’d ask just in case I’d missed something. While talking to the assistant, he explained to me that most of the manual is built into the iPad but, having said that, the iPad itself is built to be self-explanatory. He then lead me to one of the display iPads and gave me a two minute basic lesson so that when I got home to play with my own, I’d at least know the fundamentals. This short interaction was informative and very useful, especially for an Apple newbie.
Just before I went to the till with my new iPad, the assistant asked if this was my first time to the store. I sheepishly admitted that it was, looking at the floor. He said first-timers are more common than you’d think, compared to the number of iPhone users out there – but, as it was my first time, he pointed out the important spots in the store that any Apple product owner should know. New products shown at the front by the wide doors for those who want a quick update on what’s new; extras on the wall; and if you have any problems – see the Genius at the back. I particularly liked the name ‘Geniuses’ for the Apple specialists, as this really instilled a feeling of confidence in their technical knowledge – something highly important when you’re trusting them with your luxury tech. Learning that I can take my iPad to them if I need help and be shown what’s gone wrong and how to fix it in the future was also enormously helpful.
When it comes to customer service, I think Apple have really cracked the formula, through a combination of an independent shopping experience and highly accommodating and knowledgeable staff. This is exactly what you need when the products speak for themselves – no pushy sales people, but customer service extraordinaries!