Apple’s Secret? Soldier Employees

[idan]

Apple Stores are one of the most successful retail stores in the whole world and it appears that their secret could be summed up in four words: extremely well trained employees. Apple Store candidates must first pass as least two rounds of interviews to go to the training stage. Training is extensive and this is the place where future employees learn and apply "Apple's principles of customer service."

New employees are not allowed to address customers if they have not acquired enough experience after observing experienced employees, Apple Insider reports. Apple Store employees must always maintain a positive atmosphere in the shop. For this reason they are forbidden from using words with a negative meaning. When a Genius is unable to solve an issue, he will never pronounce the word "unfortunately” but replace it by "as it turns out”.

Also Geniuses are not allowed to correct customers if they have mispronounced the name of a product so that customers do not fell patronized. Sales employees reportedly earn between $9-15 per hour, while Geniuses receive almost $30 per hour. Unfortunately for Apple Store employees, chances to get a promotion are rather rare. Apparently, Apple Stores is a concept Steve Jobs holds dear. The CEO continued to examine in detail blueprints for future Apple stores even when he was on the hospital bed, recovering from a liver transplant surgery.

Unfortunately for Apple, Ron Johnson, the company’s retail operation manager has recently resigned for a job at J.C. Penney Company. Johnson is the brain behind the Apple Store concept and he is also the ”inventor” of the Genius Bar.

By Radu Tyrsina

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