Some basic facts to get us started.

• Apple’s sales per sq. foot are now $4,406. This is higher than Tiffany’s and Co.
• Employees are supposed help customers, not to sell products. A quote from the training manual:“Your job is to understand all of your customers’ needs—some of which they may not even realize they have.”
• Apple employees are instructed to talk to customers in a very supportive way:“Listen and limit your responses to simple reassurances that you are doing so. ‘Uh-huh’ ‘I understand,’ etc.”
• Genius Bar employees are trained to say, “as it turns out” instead of “unfortunately,” to place a  more positive spin on their bad news.
• If a customer mispronounces a product name or something else, employees are forbidden from correcting the customer. (hint hint, to all Fry’s, Best Buy’s and other places that have ego’s running rampant)
• Employees who are six minutes late three times in six months can be fired.
• While Apple employees do not have sales quotas, they are strongly encouraged to sell Apple Care and support.

I recently took an iPhone into Apple the other day and they set and ‘appointment’ for me one-half hour later. The phone stopped working (my 2 year old decided to use it as either a hammer, or a nail..or both) so I figured that I’d take it into the store to see if they could do anything. There’s no happy ending for this phone, but after reading the Wall Street Journal Article, it is true, the guy behind the genius bar somehow spun it in a positive way that I’d be better off buying a new iPhone than go through the process of fixing the phone. It was probably the nicest rejection I’ve had since my 6 year old said that she likes hugging my wife more than me because her skin is softer and she doesn’t have a beard.

Scanned photo via Wall Street Journal

As it turns out, there is an Acronmym for A.P.P.L.E that store employees are required to learn. Something that we all could learn a little from

(A) Approach customers with a personalized warm welcome.
(P) Probe politely to understand customers 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.

Simply put, Apple just does things right. And while I’ve come to expect no less of them, it is also a fact that Apple products are not cheap. In order to maintain the mania of Apple Nation they need to continue to Pimp their products like no other.  I can’t help but wonder if Microsoft will take the same approach with their new stores?

(read complimentary article on the Wall Street Journal – Technology)

Yes, I realize that in some cases the store might have to pay for certain transactions and not the other (but this begs the question, ‘why ask the question in the first place?’). There are also consumers that will freak out about typing in their pin # for their debit card and would prefer to validate their identity with the person behind the counter checking their ID. Still, this strikes me as a great example (albeit a small one) of a non-digital study in user experience.

Here’s some random thoughts that come to mind:

• My guess is that more than 50% of people don’t care (i.e. ‘ just swipe the darn card’ mentality)
• This question, to me, gets annoying after a while.
• The store would be better served by instead asking something customer service oriented. (How’s your day going?)
• People don’t like to think during a routine purchase.
• Neither do consumers like to fiddle with non-standard buttons, touch pads, little plastic pointers, finger or no finger, green button or ‘yes’ button.
• By just swiping the customer’s card and not asking, the store is simplifying the purchase.
• At the end of a Starbucks purchase, I’m relieved that it was so quick and painless.

I guess that what I’m ultimately getting at here is that little things count. And I know that Starbucks spends a LOT of time focusing on these little things. Speaking of which, have a look at Starbucks’ customer-focused idea site: mystarbucksidea.force.com. Another small customer-service gem is how they personalize the process of selling a coffee – where they call you out by first name when your drink is ready.

Anyway, I think Starbucks has it right. And I think this applies to all things online or offline. That is, if we don’t need to ask a question, don’t. If we don’t need to add that page or section, don’t. If we don’t need to add a graphic…don’t.

Just ‘swipe the card’ and instead focus on customer service.