If you do not learn this concept easy, I promise you will learn it hard. Take care of your customers. Some say “Hug” your customers but I’m not sure I want to be that close to them. I do want to make sure they are 100% satisfied. I also want to know what more I can do to ensure they continue to be happy. I have several consulting clients and sure, I have had not so happy clients and it sucks. The initial reaction is to tell them to take a hike and @#%# themselves. (See my article on pre-screening because there might be some clients you want to get rid of.) The likley situation is that you are the one at fault. As much as your ego does not want to admit it, you are the idiot that goofed up. So big deal, fix it. Its not rocket science.
I love technology, most of my friends all know this. I have a personal goal to be “Geo-graphically Independent”. So far I am about 95% there. I bought a new iPhone 4 because I felt that it was in my best interest to add this to my arsenal to achive my overall goal. It’s a great product. I love everything about it. There is nothing that I can say bad about it. (The antenna issue is not as bad as its made out and apple is issuing a software update for it… I digress) Please keep in mind that My wife works for Microsoft and for years I have been a strong Microsoft guy.. I still am. However, you need to give credit where credit is due. Apple has done a phenomonal job with the iPhone.
So why am I bringing this up? Well there is a reason why Microsoft will never go anywhere and probably the opposite reason why Apple will not either. It just so happens that I was running to a very important meeting and I was just not paying attention and accidentally dropped my iPhone on to my stained concrete floors in my home. Yeah… not pretty. I shattered the glass back. I have only owned it for 7 days. I was so mad I saw red. Hey it was my own fault and these things happen. So I did what any iPhone owner would do, I called Apple Care Support. Especially since I spent $69. They were not very helpful, they told me that there was nothing they could do. But what I found so frustrating was the fact that I made an effort to walk into an Apple Store. I kindly explained my problem and they informed me that I needed to schedule an appointment for another time. Mind you, I had been standing there for about 5 minutes before anyone said even a hello to me. After leaving the store frustrated, I talked with Apple Care Support and they told me it would be $199 for a new phone and there was nothing they could do. I was told to visit a 3rd party company to fix my cell phone but it would inevitably void my warranty that I paid $69 for. I began to wonder what I actually paid for. In short, Apple has in no contest awesome products and a great marketing engine behind them. It has the poorest customer service that I have ever experienced in any company’s existance. So will consumers overlook Apple’s shortcomings for such an awesome product? I’m curious.
As for Microsoft, I have had my share of problems with their software and even their consumer product the XBOX 360. I will say that I am very pleased with the XBOX product. I feel its the iPhone of the gaming industry. I use it for entertainment and now that kinect is coming out this November I believe Microsoft has pushed a phenomonal product well into the 22nd century. That being said, I had what they call the red ring of death on my XBOX about a year ago. What does that mean? Well basically that your XBOX is toast. The frustration is about the same as dropping your new iPhone4 on the floor. Here is where it gets cool. I call the support department and ask what options exist for my dismal state. Magically they respond in the first ring and get me to the person who can help me. With Apple I had to call 3 times because their system hung up on me. Once I got to a technician he told me that they could fix the XBOX and that I just needed to stop by a UPS store and Microsoft would pay for shipping. They set the expectation that I would get my XBOX in 6 weeks. I got it back in less than 2. Not only that, it was a brand new XBOX!
I wasn’t upset at the fact that Apple could not “give” me something for free as much as I was upset at the fact no one seemed interested enough in me as the client. If you have something that is one of the most innovative products of our time, you need to stand up to the claim. As most of you know, I rarely complain without offering a solution. So here it is:
I thought after today’s mishap that I would love to just take a job at Apple so I could show them how to take care of customers.
So, if you are at Apple and you happen to be reading this.. I would be more than happy to outline a strategy to ensure Apple’s clients
feel like they are taken care of. Hey if you really have a great product then your company should own up to the claim that it has
one of the best products out there. So if you are one of the 4 people who read my blog odds are you don’t work at Apple. If you do,
I’m up for the challenge.
It’s been a long day!
(POSTED AT MY BLOG: www.mckane.com/blog)
