My 1st Apple In-store Experience

It was a beautiful sunny day in Miami, Florida and after a (not so comfortable..) 4,5 hour AA flight, I had a 16 hour lay-over window before continuing my journey on another 15,5 hour flight to the East of our globe :-)

Luckily I was able to crash and freshen up at old friends, living nearby the airport. And that also gave me some leeway to do some quick Miami exploring! It has, after all, been close to almost 10 years that I've set foot on US soil... and I was hoping to purchase a new iPad, as my (ancient) mini iPad has gone on pension for some time now. So, after a quick shower I open up my browser to check which mall closest to my location has an Apple iStore. And the winner was: Dadeland Mall. Having read and heard many times of the unique customer experience of the Apple stores I was excited to put it to the test!

My (customer) journey started off with a phone call (Touchpoint #1) as I was trying to avoid long queues and didn't want to waste any time. I quickly found the number online to call and after a few seconds was redirected to a Customer Service call agent who efficiently and politely walked me through the steps of purchasing the right iPad in alignment with my usage needs and preferences. As we finalized my order I would be able to pay with my credit card by phone and could then just pick-up my order at the store. Hassle-free, right? Wrong, because sadly for me... after the 10 - 12 minute phone call we discovered that my 'Surinamese' Mastercard could not be accepted because a US billing address was required. Sucky. But although this was of no direct fault of the call agent, she sincerely apologized by saying "I should have verified the payment step earlier with you mam. Shall I schedule a time appointment for you at the store so that you don't have to wait in line?" "And meanwhile I will mail you all the specs we entered so that you can just show this to the person in the store". What could have easily been a frustrating 'wasted my 10-15 minutes'-feeling was now redirected to a feeling of comfort and ease.

After some small hick-ups and miscommunication with getting a taxi (I forgot that Miami was a 'mini Latin & Spanish speaking city') I was on my way to Dadeland Mall, ready to buy this new gadget. After receiving some directions where the Apple Store was located in the mall, I turned a corner and there was, what only can be described as, a vision of open space, light and... some huge indoor trees. I paused a quick minute to take it in and looked at the different types of customers walking, sitting and chatting and it honestly felt like looking at a modern tech cafe of some sort.

"Her smile invited me in and as I walked up to her she said: Hi, welcome at Apple! How can I help you today?"

A young lady was standing close by the entrance with a handheld device and a headset on and smiled at me (Touchpoint #2). Her smile invited me in and as I walked up to her she said: "Hi, welcome at Apple! How can I help you today?" I started briefly explaining to her that I was in transit and told her about my failed attempt to order by phone for pick-up. At that time I also realized that the store was very spacious and bright! She responded with: "No worries, let's get you sorted out, can I please have your first name, last name and e-mail address?" After she typed the information in her handheld device she pointed to one of the many wooden 'IKEA-looking' tables behind her and asked if I could wait there for a few minutes until one of her colleagues would be available to assist me. I walked over to the table while sensing a very relaxed, easy-going vibe all around and watched customers of young and old age groups talking to these youthful looking 'Gen Y / Gen Z' Apple employees. My mind was only 5 minutes in observation mode as I already heard my name called by one of these hipster looking folks: Hi Charlene! (Touchpoint #3) I surprisingly looked up at this curly-haired, bandana wearing young fellow and with a friendly smile on his face he welcomed me and started summarizing my previous order information on his device and asked if that was indeed what I was looking for. Perfection! He quickly asked some specific questions about use and color preferences and whala! I was all set to purchase. Now of course being me I needed to see some of the colors first upfront to make a choice selection and he friendly encouraged me to go take a peek at the display in the other corner of the store. After a few minutes he came over and joined me and helped to finalize my complete order. To my surprise after the order was completed in his device, he didn't direct me to go pay at a cashier or anything, he just stood there and made some small talk. A bit strange to me, so I asked if I had to go pay somewhere else in the store? His respond: "Oh no, we're just waiting on my colleague to bring up the order". Ahm....little did I realize that in his small handheld device he quickly placed the order, sent a message to his colleague in the back, who then would collect my specific iPad model plus (just picked out) orange case and bring it straight to us. Literally to where we were standing at that time in the store. Talk about convenience....this was it! After no longer than 6 minutes another hipster boy walked up to us with an Apple bag in hand (Touchpoint #4). My curly haired friend next to me turned over his device and asked for my credit card. Within seconds of swiping and also confirming my e-mail address, the payment was done and my purchase receipt was in my inbox. Paper-free, limited waiting time with the product neatly packaged in a bag in my hand. Wow. As I complemented him on a seamless and efficient service he quickly explained to me that Apple is very keen on implementing a more green environment where even the strings on the Apple bag are made from a non-plastic special material.

As I am greeted with good luck wishes for my trip, I walk out of the store with my new product in hand and I realized I have successfully made a high-tech purchase in less than 30 minutes. I turn around one last time and feel somewhat hit by a customer experience after-shock containing the following brand values: 1) Hip & modern 2) Friendly 3) Open & inviting 4) Efficient & convenient.

At literally every Touchpoint from start to end these values were seen, felt and experienced with a surprisingly consistent, youthful and professional flair. This first Apple In-store customer journey has definitely showcased a 'Wanna-have" emotion curve where technology and service were intertwined every step of the way.

So the only questions I have lingering are: Would the experience be the same if let's say I didn't have an email address? Or didn't own a credit card? Would I still be 'Wow-ed' by the efficiency and comfort? I hope so! But for now my In-Store Net Promoter Score would rate a 10 out of 10. And I would definitely go back to visit!