“Hi Scott, this is Steve.” Scott Steckley asked: “Steve Jobs?”
“Yeah,” Jobs said. “I just wanted to apologize for your incredibly long wait. It’s really nobody’s fault. It’s just one of those things.”
“Yeah, I understand.”
Then Jobs explained that he expedited the repair of Steckley’s computer. “I also wanted to thank you for your support of Apple,” Jobs said. “I see how much equipment you own. It really makes my day to see someone who enjoys our products so much and who supports us in the good times and bad.”
Jobs got directly involved in customer service, which was a part of Apple’s business for which he exercised a great deal of attention and patience. He fielded e-mails about broken laptops and intervened on support calls. CEOs of public companies are generally hands-on, but Jobs was involved in practically every detail.
When a customer asked Jobs via e-mail in 2008 why BlackBerry owners could tether their phones to their computers for wireless Internet access but the same could not be done with an iPhone, Jobs wrote, “We agree, and are discussing it with ATT.” The feature eventually came.
The value of using front line customer support to inform product development is unique in a marketplace characterized by surveys that yield a filtered view of customer relationships. The Jobs approach is truly refreshing in a world that often outsources relationship management.
Aevia — Consider the Source