It seems an Apple rap video was posted on Vimeo and performed by Apple employees in New Hampshire. Obviously the video didn’t last long; it was pulled from the Internet, but besides being somewhat amateurish and mildly ludicrous, the theory of presenting the proper solutions to customers based on their needs still rang through as truth.
Back in July, the Apple Store in the Hong Kong IFC building presented parts of their five-day course in employee training. It is called “Core Training.” On the first day, new employees learn about the company, gain technical training, learn how Apple systems work and the importance of the Apple culture. Days two, three and four teach employees how to interact with customers, teaches about inventory and progresses to the “complete solution” which is finding out what the customer needs, asking them what they need it for, and then proceeds to presenting the product that will satisfy their needs. Day five summarizes the past four days of training and shows employees how to access Apple systems.
So the rap video seemed a bit immature as compared to what Steve Jobs would ever consider acceptable no less proper, but the message came across as far as calling customers “promoters” which simply means happy and satisfied customers are the ones who promote one’s business by recommending, returning and thereby acting as the best word of mouth advertising there is. The “rap stars” spelled out APPLE as the following:
- A – Approach (how to approach a customer when they walk into the store)
- P – Position, Permission, Probe (initial questions and follow-up to best help a customer find what they really want and need)
- P – Present (solution)
- L – Listen
- E – End
Perhaps the rap soundtrack could be seen as mildly offensive to some, but it presented an energized and interesting approach to teaching some very important principles of customer service. If one needs an acronym like AAA to remember “Acknowledge, Align, and Assure” to help recognize and handle acceptable standards and procedures that really work when an unhappy customer approaches or calls, and it happens to be chanted, rhyming lyrics that help employees to remember and do their jobs well – maybe it’s just not so bad.
photo credit: matsuyuki
Cheryl,
Cool story.
Personally, I don’t see why the video would be offensive and I certainly would love to see more brands I do business with developing such a training approach for their employees (Financial Service Companies pleas take note).
The most precious commodity out there is ‘time’. And when one is investing time in exploring a product/service offering a vendor has on offer you want to know that it is being used effectively.
My personal shopping experiences with Apple has always demonstrated that they understand that customer is central to making their business run and this has been reflected in the experience they deliver across the entire enterprise (web to billing).
Cheers,
Nicholas