- February 28, 2018 -

"You've got to start with the customer service and work back toward the technology...not the other way around." - Steve Jobs

 
When Steve Jobs was getting ready to open the first Apple stores, he asked around the Apple headquarters: "What's the best customer experience you've ever had yourself, as a customer?"

Nobody mentioned how awesome they were treated at Best Buy or Walmart.

The answer he kept getting was a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons or some other five-start resort or hotel experience.

So take a wild guess at what he did?

He enrolled all his soon-to-be store managers in The Ritz Carlton training and leadership program.

Take a moment and let that sink in...his main competitors were Best Buy, Circuit City (RIP) and Radio Shack.

...yet he set the standard for customer service was in an entirely different industry. Hospitality!

The king of hospitality.

The Ritz Carlton trained their employees to follow four simple steps:

1. Welcome every guest with a WARM and sincere greeting. Say it with a smile and use the guests NAME when possible.
2. ANTICIPATE and learn to provide the UNEXPECTED. In other words exceed the guests service expectations.
3. Dismiss every guest with a FOND farewell. Give the patient a warm good-bye and use their name when possible.
4. Extend an INVITATION to return when necessary.

So is the customer always right?

Heck, no!

With social media making it too easy for an unhappy customer (deservedly or not) to play havoc with a company's reputation...it's more important than ever to set expectations from the start.

Giving our customers a 5-star experience with us doesn't mean being held hostage - but it's up to us to communicate from the start before misunderstandings happen.

Steve Jobs, known for responding to customer emails directly sent to him, even had his days...

Evidently a customer was complaining about Apple not honoring its warranty for his computer received the following response from Jobs in 2008:

"This is what happens when your MacBook Pro sustains water damage. They are pro machines and they don't like water. It sounds like you're just looking for someone to get mad at other than yourself."

Before I sign off...remember the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld?

Classic, right?

So is your customer service more like The Ritz Carlton or the Soup Nazi?

Watch and enjoy!
 

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