About a week after starting at Fresh Consulting, I’m in the conference room for one of my first team meetings. Everything is going well and I’m getting to know the different personalities of the team (more on that later). From what I can see everybody here is smart and intense, but they also like to have fun and joke around. Nobody takes themselves too seriously which is good, and it fits my personality because I can get a little goofy. We are all discussing a million different topics at warp speed until all of a sudden Jeff turns his ear to me like a tuning fork detecting precious metal. Narrowing his eyes, he squints, “What’s going on with that computer? Something is wrong.”
I look at him and shake my head…
Full disclosure here–I tend to ignore any and all computer problems that can’t be solved by flipping the Off switch, until basically I’m hit with the “blue screen of death.” And even then I tend to be in denial, thinking that my machine just wants to take a little rest, but will come back on shortly. As long as I think good thoughts, and speak to it nicely, everything will be just fine. Yep, I’m Computer Co-dependent.
I look down at my laptop and listen intently–indeed, there is a slight, slight, slight whirling noise, but when I push buttons, stuff still happens. “No Jeff, I don’t think so. Everything is good,” and I think to myself “we are a loong way from a blue screen. What is he talking about?”
He shakes his head, implying that a less than perfectly behaving new computer will not be tolerated at Fresh Consulting. No sir. And says “You need to take that back to the Apple store and get it fixed.”
Inwardly I groan. Ugh. I hate dealing with techie fix-it guys who will sneer at me and ask me a bunch of questions that I don’t know the answer to. In the past, this has generally made me feel really very stupid. Oh boy, this is going to be fun.
So early the next morning I go to the Apple store at the Bellevue Square Mall with a steaming Pumpkin Spice Latte in hand (normally I wouldn’t pay $4 for a drink in this economy, but I figure I deserve a treat for the hell I’m about to endure). As I walk towards the store, I tell myself to breathe in, breathe out. Picture some nice ocean waves. I can do this, I can do this…
The first thing I notice at the Apple store is a guy wearing a headset who smiles and opens the door for me. He’s got a slightly funky haircut, but he’s definitely not a nerd so much as a guy who looks more like a songwriter (for some reason all the Web 2.0 savvy guys look like musicians to me.) I smile at him while feeling the buzz from the latte kick in. He asks me for my name, and when I say it he taps his headset and says into it, “Miss London is here!” as if Angelina Jolie just arrived at the Oscars back-stage. Then another guy, also wearing a headset steps forward a few steps and leads me to the “Genius Counter”, where some “Geniuses” are going to look into fixing my computer. As I’m waiting for the guy to check in my computer I start looking looking around for an outlet, preparing for an onslaught of questions I know I won’t know the answer to.
The guy at the door comes running over, looking perplexed and tapping his headset. “Miss London, what are you doing?”
“Just getting it all charged up for you.”
The entire crew at the Apple store stop to stare at me as if I just grabbed a bucket of water and started mopping the floor. He says to me quietly, “Miss, we have other people to do that for you. Don’t worry about it really. Please just relax.”
Oh. Right. Sure. How silly of me. High-end customer service is clearly important to these guys.
And then after chatting with the guy who checked into my computer, (who made sure to ask about my weekend), he helped me understand the problem and guaranteed a quick fix for FREE! He looked up our company account, and then leaned forward and said, “You guys are an Apple shop, aren’t you?” When I nodded, he smiled knowingly at me. We both knew that any self respecting, web savvy, customer-centric, creative Web 2.0 type company like Fresh Consulting wouldn’t be caught dead without their Macs! On the way out, Damian (Business Specialist there) remembered both me and the name of my company on sight. Or maybe it was the info relayed through the headset from the other guy? I dunno, but either way, as he opened the door for me, I left there happy, refreshed, and ready to pick up some stock in Apple Computer.
Wow – puts me in mind of Junior League private shopping events at Nordstrom with Champagne, chocolate, and caviar.
The great thing is, that this happens to everyone. It is not an isolated experience, but an integral part of the Apple Store.
Absolutely!
Warning! “Back when I was young” story to follow… Sears had a blanket “satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” written statement for years. No caveats. Marshall Field’s in Chicago had a standing rule that no customer was to ever have to go beyond a department manager to get satisfaction. They “devolved” away from this philosophy and the next thing you know Sears is owned by K-Mart and Field’s is called Macys. Apple is following the simplest rule of satisfying their customers. Of course their products are so darned satisfying to begin with! Fun story to read with a happy ending. But $4 for hot pumpkin flavored milk?
Hi Polpray,
Sure, you can go ahead and post from this blog. Thanks for reading!
Why I have had a Mac since 6th grade. (That was 25 years or so ago!) Love being treated famously!
Great post Kate. Love your take on the tech-savvy world. Truly a fresh perspective!
Hi Steve,
Loved your comment about “$4 for pumpkin spiced milk?” Too funny! Well, when you put it that way….maybe I’ll have to re-think my Starbucks order next time. Thanks for the comment!
Great story! Had me laughing out loud. But I also like the message. There is no substitute for giving awesome personal service. Wish more companies knew that these days.