Customer Satisfaction Month at FastCompany Part II

Mac Continuing coverage of this month’s customer service focus at Fast Company.

Interesting article about Apple and why they didn’t make the list. My take is that perhaps their new campaign is working so well that they can’t deliver on their customer service promise. It’s a powerful message and I have been tempted. My oldest daughter donated her PC a couple of weeks ago to her little sisters and ordered a Mac. The girl at the Apple store convinced her to order online because if she had the upgrade installed in the store it would cost her $100 more than just ordering it. Short version is that the computer was ordered 2 weeks ago, expedited 2nd day shipping and it isn’t here yet. Hmmm.

If I’m right, do you pull the advertising campaign until you can catch up with demand? I think you can get away with delivering a mediocre sermon to the choir now and then, but when it’s Christmas day and the heathens show up, you’d better deliver the goods. Apple created Christmas and the goods are still on the assembly line in China.

I put up a quote back in 2004 by by Amy Curtis-McIntyre, JetBlue‘s Vice President of Marketing. I think she nails the subject.

"Advertising is the last thing you bring to the mix. You start by getting the product right, getting your attitude right, getting everyone internally understanding the mission. Then you move to telling the story through PR. You build the advertising last, and that way you can live on realistic budgets."

2 thoughts on “Customer Satisfaction Month at FastCompany Part II

  1. Juliana Mazziero

    Hi Dave,

    I found your blog months ago, and I really like it.

    This time I had to comment that the same thing happened to my friend here in California. He ordered a MAC that took 15 days to arrive and he kind of lost some opportunities of work.

    Also, makes me remember a case of a different shampoo which the company launched few years ago in Brazil, where Im from, and they advertised it very well, but when you were going to look for it to buy, you couldn’t find it easily.

    These situations make the customers irritated, but at the same time make you more anxious and maybe desiring the product more(following the law that when you dont have something, more you want to have it).

    Thanks for the blog!

    Reply
  2. Stephanie

    Dave, I came acrross your blog and I found it to be very interesting. I REALLY liked that quote too by Amy. I think that customer service has been so over looked. I know Apple is very busy but I think in order to keep loyal customers they need to deliver good customer service. I have recently came across a great website Mindshare that’s about customer service. Apple should check it out!! HaHa! 🙂

    Reply

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