How come Apple can have 25+ service assistants in their store while other retail chains are reducing down to … ‘Where do I find someone to hand my money too?’…
I recently visited the apple store at my local shopping centre ‘Castle Towers, Baulkham Hills, NSW Australia’. As soon as I walked in I could clearly see the staff in their consistent coloured tops politely approaching me to see if I needed assistance. When I asked a question it was easy to get the answer I required and choose the product I was intending to buy. Then I remembered I wanted to look at another product whilst I was there. I immediately got the service and information and bought that as well, all within the space of 20 minutes.
I have been in other retail shops (some rather large ones) in the same shopping centre and found myself wanting to hand over money, but with no one either interested in taking it from me or no one there to talk to, re handing over my money. I decide to leave the shop…
How can the apple stores afford the staff whilst others can’t?…In fact other retailers are cutting back on staff – NO NO NO that’s not the answer the answer is to give us the paying customer an experience…have your products laid out and priced!… That’s another thing, as I have found, not all products have prices on them so I can’t see what they cost and I can’t find someone to talk with, to see what they cost, so I have to walk my money out of the store.
Apple seem to have has got it nailed, at the moment and others could learn how to shape the retail shop of today and the future from them. Online shopping – I could have got my product online and so could have the 70 plus other people in the store at the time. We however wanted to get the experience of being looked after as special individuals. The ability to discuss our purchase with an assistant feels nice.
We are happy, the assistant is happy and so is apple and its shareholders, which I am not one and in fact I have no connection what so ever to apple or their products.
Then once the assistant was looking to take my money and I was happy to part with it, he could do it where he stood, on his pIPodhone by accepting my bank or credit card and he then he asked… ‘Do I want a paper receipt or would I like it to be e-mailed to me?’… I chose e-mail to save paper and trees and the world. Then he asked… ‘Would I like to be kept up to date on apple products?’… I was caught up in the moment and said yes so now they have captured me nicely onto a mailing list via my e-mail. How wonderful for future business for them.…
But more to the point what about the endorsement I am giving them now…
By the way the service idea works the same on the phone and for non retail companies… We all just want to be looked after and feel that we are seen as an important customer to them.
