Simplicity

Posted by Ian and Steve on Nov 10, 2011 in Hints and Tips | 0 comments

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My iPhone 4 started to have some issues recently when I tried to open the camera application to take a photo. The screen wobbled for about 10 seconds and then the phone would shut down.
I rang my service provider, O2, who were very helpful but recommended I booked an appointment with an Apple Store Genius. I had never heard of one of those but I checked online and, sure enough, I saw that I could select an Apple Store and book an appointment for them to check it out.
I booked the appointment for 8 Oct at 14.10 (how precise) at the Apple Store Lakeside, Thurrock, and immediately received a confirmation e mail back from the system.
At Lakeside I found that my timing was just too impressive and I arrived at 13.45. At the door a receptionist, armed with an iPad, asked me for my appointment time, confirmed my booking and although I apologised for being early she suggested she might find an earlier timeslot for me to save me waiting about.
Waiting about in a store full of high tech gadgets and a buzz you could hear as soon as you went in? I was prepared to wait!
“We can see you in about two minutes if you make your way to the Genius Bar” she said with a smile.
I sat on a stool at the bar and watched the Genius team in their blue Apple shirts deal with one customer after another.
Suddenly my name was called and I was greeted by one of the Genius team called Kay.
“Hello Steve, what seems to be the problem?” I explained and she nodded sagely.
She checked the base of the phone and a red indicator within the connector (which she showed me) meant that there was suspected moisture inside the phone.
“Please let me take it into our workshop and I’ll remove the back and check it out for you”
After 2 minutes Kay returned and said that she could not find any moisture. She also said she would let me have a new replacement phone, no charge.
She apologised that the new phone would not be fully functioning until I synchronised with my computer back home – where the backup file would automatically restore all of my contacts, settings etc.

This was a really slick, customer friendly, simple transaction.
I have told quite a few friends about it not because I had received a new phone free of charge but because Kay could easily have said that she had found moisture in the handset and therefore I might have been charged with a repair.

So we had technology combined with great personal customer service.

Simplicity.

Sometimes that’s all you need…. And people who really care about customer service.

If you care about customer service yopu’ll be interested in A Useful Guide to Customer Service and A Useful Guide to Process Mapping.