The people bit of Service Design and Going Native

I'm attracted to this article in November's Fast Company magazine. Alex Frankel quite literally goes 'native' in order to understand the value that front line employees play in adding value to the brand. His book, Punching in: The Unauthorized Adventures of a Front-Line Employee is published in December through Collins.

In the design of services,  it often comes down to the role you expect your employees to play, and Alex worked (or tried to work) at Gap, Starbucks, UPS before finally landing a spot on the shop floor at Apple.

Me? I've been a lift boy, delivered carpets, sold hi-fi, worked on company exhibition stands... not much and I'd be the very first to admire the people skills required in retail.

And it's far more than just selling. Retail is detail - as I've heard.

These days truely great retail has more in common with the emergency room than the sales floor - triage, diagnosis and even empathy, are today's skills in understanding your customer - and building a (valuable) long-term relationship.

Apple apparently employ Position: Permission: Probe. which is where Apple co-workers explain to customers that they have some questions to ask, get permission to fire away and then just dig away to figure out which products will be best.

Have you been on the receiving end of this transparent approach? Did it work? What are your stories?

Of course iTunes is a classic and often quoted super example of great Service Design, but it's easy to forget the nuances at work on the shop floor.

Training of Apple store employees is like the iPod user interface - carefully designed...

Apple store are almost over-staffed, so no one has to wait too long.

Apple staffers also hand out business cards like in a high-end or bespoke clothing store.

Such are the insights gathered when Alex worked on the front line; and it's not just authors or ethnographers who can benefit. Here in the UK Pret a Manger regularly sends out new exec hires to work the floor.

Maybe Service Designers should give it a go too, there's obviously plenty to learn.

Comments

[Charlie Gower]

Nice. I really like the comparison between the A&E (E.R.) and the shop floor.
In regards to customer experience, the Apple approach, they're always been pretty good to me. But I do go straight in with what I'm not going to do. "I'm not going to buy one but I was just wondering about...

The sad thing, is on the phone a different model seems to be in place which is; hear voice: sell, whatever I say is followed up with "you're not listening to me"

[Live Answering Service]

In regards to customer experience, the Apple approach, they're always been pretty good to me.

Ben Cliff