eKourier April 2016

FEATURES

The Worlds Most Valuable Brands 2015 Forbs No1 Apple 145.3Bil, No2 Microsoft 69.3Bil, No3 Google 65.6Bil, No4 Coca My first experience with Apple: I had a problem with the Bluetooth function- ality on my iPhone. You go onto the I have heard similar stories from friends and family.

Cola 56.0Bil, No5 IBM 49.9Bil, No6 McDonalds 39.5Bil, No7 Samsung 37.9Bil, No8 Toyota 37.8Bil, No9 GE (General Electric) 37.6Bil, No10 Facebook, Disney, AT&T, Nike, BMW and Amazon. T he Apple Experience. Everyone knows Apple is possibly the most recognised Brand worldwide, the Brand has an estimated value of around $107 billion and number one on the list of most valuable Brands. Second is Google at around $60 billion according to Forbes Fortune 100. People have fallen in love with the Apple products, its user experience, sleek attractive design and intuitive function- ality have made Apple what it is today. attention to detail that goes into each of their products has been adopted across all facets of the business, including their design and layout for their retail stores, their people and their service. I have spoken to many people who are glowing with praise with the level of service they have received from Apple. I can attest also to experiencing the Apple service myself and was blown away. They haven’t achieved number one on Apple products alone. The same

Apple website, find your closest store and book in a time to see an Apple consultant. I turn up, the Apple consultant was at the door and said you must be Mr Marshall. They direct me to a sales bench and I'm told that John will be with you shortly. How true that was John came to me within the minute and asked how I was and what was the problem. After a short amount of time he established the phone wasn't able to be fixed and replaced with it another phone. Not a brand new phone but neither was my phone. They then wished me a good day and said let us know if we can help you in the future. A very satisfactory outcome that was friendly and efficient. iTunes to watch. The movie for whatever reason didn't download correctly and we were charged the rental fee. I had received the receipt on my phone by email. Not sure how to handle this I read the receipt email and it had a button to report a problem. I pressed the button, it gave me options and I chose ‘movie didn't download’. I get an immediate response saying ‘thank you we will be addressing your concern within the next 24hrs’. My second experience: my son had downloaded a rented movie from

I don’t believe you become the most valuable and liked Brand in the world with great products alone. It's a holistic approach to the customer experi- ence, attention to every detail at every customer touch point that is important to building a lasting impression. From their products to their stores, to their people and the after sales service, each touch point with a commitment to delivering the Apple experience. Every company can learn and aspire to achieve the same level of service as Apple. How do they achieve such a high standard consistently? By carefully selecting the right people. By carefully training their people in Selling the A.P.P.L.E. Way. As you would expect a lot of effort goes into the training of every detail when a Team Member interacts with a customer. Online research has revealed how a Team Member is meant to interact using the APPLE acronym. [A] pproach customers with a person- alised, warm welcome. [P] robe politely to understand all the customer's needs. [P] resent a solution for the customer to take home today. [L] isten for and resolve any issues or concerns. [E] nd with a fond farewell and an invitation to return. Jay Elliot, author of two books about Apple, describes getting a position at Apple as follows, "you've got to be totally wedded to the culture (at Apple). You've got to love the product and what it is and they love the product."

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I don’t believe you become the most valuable and liked brand in the world with great products alone.

Well I think it was within the hour I received a message saying, ‘sorry your movie didn't download we are not able to provide another download but we have credited the money back to your account for you to try again’. Sure enough I receive a credit notification email right then. Again a satisfactory resolution resolved fast and efficiently. And yes the movie downloaded the second time round. ‘

I am intrigued and in awe of how they achieve this. A quick Google search tells me there have been over 800 Million iOS devices sold worldwide, Apple employ 115,000 people worldwide. How do they achieve such a consistently high standard of service in a large global organisation?

10 Kennards Kourier April 2016