Customer Devotion - Its a 2 way thing - Genius!

So I went to the Apple store today.  I know, I know - everyone talks about how great Apple is and it has almost become a cliche.

However, what they did demonstrated how real customer devotion works.  I had experienced a real issue with email the previous day - where basically everything had seized up on me.  It says a lot about the world when I can honestly say that without email I was lost - without contact.  (Of course this isn't true - but it felt like it at the time!)

I had spoken with the email host company and they had blamed the situation on my mac and the difficulty it has in communicating with certain email formats.  I went to the Genius bar at Apple - such a great name - and they spent the next two hours pulling various people of the shop floor (a very busy shop floor) to solve my issue.  An issue that it turned out was nothing to do with Apple or my hardware and completely due to the email host's internal issue.  In fact, none of the Apple geniuses actually understood what was happening and why - yet they still ploughed on to solve the issue.

They were devoted to me - the customer.  Is it any wonder therefore that I am devoted to them - real bonafide 2 way customer devotion?

The culprit - who was at fault - made the most serious of mistakes - blaming someone else and demonstrating customer irreverence - such that I will now devote myself to leaving them as quickly as possible.  Devotion to customers drives customer devotion.  That simplicity is the genius of Apple.

Do It Or Don't Do It - Then Choose to be Happy

Life is a set of choices.  It's a fairly bold point to make.  People may argue that there are things that are not a choice - but when you really come down to it - we all choose to obey the law (or not) - we all choose to live by certain standards or values (or not) - and we all choose to prioritise things deemed to be important (it's just a question of what you deem to be important).

Of course there are certain things that are not actually a choice.  Where I was born, my genetic make-up, history and things from the past - to name but a few.  We can, however, choose how we then deal with those things.

Take something simpler and a little less controversial.  I 'choose' to be an inconsistent and distinctly average golfer.  Why?  Because I don't practise enough or dedicate the time to improve.  I would 'like' to play well - but I actually choose to prioritise work or family over golf.  I could 'choose' to improve at golf - and face the consequences of less work time or less time with family as a practise night after night.  Either way, I can then 'choose' my response.  I am 'happy' with my choice.  I play golf and don't get wound up when I hit a bad shot.  It would be silly to get wound up - I have 'chosen' not to practise so bad shots will remain a part of my round.

I know some people who 'choose' to be bad at golf (by not practising) and then get really frustrated and miserable with it.....I even know some people who 'choose' to improve but then moan that they cant get their work done or that they are upsetting their family.  What if I didn't have the money to learn golf?  A valid question.  Seve Ballesteros practised by hitting stones with a rusty old iron on a beach.  If you want it enough you'll find a way.

Either way - if we realise more things are a choice - we can then choose our response.  Give up smoking or don't, lose weight or don't, practise hard at a hobby or don't, work hard or don't, do your kitchen extension or don't, go on holiday or don't - either way is fine.  It's a choice - so make it and be happy with it.