by 
Apple Released its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on Sept 19th after much anticipation from their cult of devotees. Admittedly, I was one of them. However it’s now early November and I’m still waiting on my new phone to arrive…so any excitement has been replaced with frustration at this stage, and it appears I’m not alone. The iPhone 6 has been available for pre-order since early September and yet due to inventory issues there are hundreds of consumers across the globe still checking their mail daily to see if it’s arrived. Seriously guys, I’ve a whole section of carpet going threadbare as a result of my bolt to the mailbox each morning. Not cool Apple, not cool at all. Even if I have lost a few pounds in the process!
This a prime example of how not to do eCommerce. Funnily enough, it’s something you won’t see prevalent with smaller companies, as they know the importance of their customers and tend to invest much more time and effort into creating a positive customer experience. The sad reality is that the larger the company, the smaller the effort they make to look after the consumer. After about 6 weeks of waiting, I’ve been told the phone is arriving this week, and I’ve also had a 100Euro refund issued as compensation; however this is only as a result of numerous phone calls to Apple and the courier company, alongside a polite request for a refund if delivery was going to take any longer. I’m a fan of Apple products in general. They’re designed to a high spec, visually appealing, and they’re also very easy to navigate -even if I can’t say the same about their customer service. However this experience has left a sour taste in my mouth and I’ll think twice about ordering directly from them again.
This ‘Apple-gate’ scenario is something which many businesses can learn from and therefore avoid in future, by simply recognising that their customer IS their business. You can offer the most interesting product or service in the world, but if no-one is interested in it – then it’s not much use is it? Business is made out of transactions and customer service is one of those transactions. The customer trusts you with their money and in exchange you provide them with the product or service they asked for. It’s a contract between you and the customer which if broken – breaks trust, and buyer distrust is not a solid foundation upon which to build a business. The Concerto Marketing Group and Research Now survey looked at the 6 drivers of brand trust and found that when customers trust a brand, 83% will recommend the company to others and 82% will become frequent customers. Transparency is key when it comes to great service and it’s often overlooked; customers are smart – they know when you’re bluffing your way out of a situation and it only further antagonizes them. Honesty really is the best policy and it also deepens the customer relationship as it personalizes your service and makes it seem more ‘real’; no-one likes talking to a customer service ‘robot’ simply rhyming off scripted replies on the phone. Treat the customer in the way you would like to be treated, and you won’t lose a single one.
Now, please excuse me as I have to run…the mailman is here.