Beyond the innovative products it introduces from time to time to the market, Apple is renowned for its quality service. This is achieved by adopting four simple practices in its Apple Stores:
1. Pick the right apples. Its store personnel are carefully selected and trained before they go out on the sales floor to interact with customers. The most determining factor in hiring them is how much of a brand "evangelist" they are and how well they fit in with the team. Those who are completely committed to Apple's culture and who love Apple's products are selected. Hiring staff with a passion for Apple products also leads to happier and more loyal employees. Np surprise that Apple comes in fifth place in terms of employee retention.
2. Sell the A.P.P.L.E. way. In fact, everything you experience from the moment you enter to the moment you leave the store has been thoroughly thought out. So what does A.P.P.L.E. really mean when it comes to training staff on how to sell? It means:
A: Approach customers with a personalized, warm welcome.
P: Probe politely to understand all the customer’s needs.
P: Present a solution for the customer to take home today.
L: Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns.
E: End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.
3. The three Fs of empathy. Anyone who has worked in retail knows that not all customers are the same. Some are genuinely pleasant to serve, while others are not so much. So how does Apple instruct its staff to handle "difficult" customers? One word that is repeated over and over again in their training manual is "empathy", the ability to put themselves in customer's shoes. Whenever an angry customer arrives because their phone screen broke, staff are taught to use the 3 Fs: Feel, Felt, Found. Notice for example how they respond when a customer complains about the expensive Mac. ''I can see how you'd feel this way. I felt the price was a little high, but I found it's a real value because of all the built-in software and capabilities''.
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4. Focus on value creation, not sales. One of the key pillars of Apple stores is the idea of enriching and creating value for customers, not just selling goods. "A store should be much more than a place to acquire merchandise. It should help people enrich their lives. If it just satisfies a specific product need, it doesn't create value for the consumer. It's a transaction. Any website can do that. But if a store can help shoppers find things that make them feel better, then it adds value beyond just providing merchandise.