6. Apple CRM Case Study Strategies: The Secret To Success
Apple CRM Case Study Strategies: The Secret To Success
1. Knowing Its Customers
“Get closer than ever to your customers. So close, in fact, that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.”
It’s an ambitious aspiration, but one that Apple follows through on. Apple’s consistently high NPS (Net Promoter Score) ratings indicate that it’s remarkably good at retaining its customers. Research recently reported that Apple’s operating system, iOS, had loyalty rates of around 89%.
Also fueling Apple’s commanding customer retention scores is its stellar technical support. Whenever you buy an Apple product, you have the option to schedule in a tailored, one-to-one session with a specialist – exploring your new device’s best features, and fine-tuning it to your tastes.
Apple’s commitment to understanding the individual is no accident. It’s a carefully plotted out CRM strategy, and it’s paying stunning dividends.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjjiysEd6SNKYiRPciNGud-41tnJryEpDT9OwsBs5zGq70lw27uQ2LkMwa3l3O8nowbXyN5VcmhGKv7Oyc2af8QwgeyGU5qsBStQ17CfB83k75GltvSVu7nmAEubBfT9ma0qErlePJDetKLCnZu9fR6hwhtpONTrTl5X4lsCOYNXhVstEm6jSse9F/w400-h224/steve%20job3.jpg)
2. Anticipating Customer Needs
“The computer, took us 3 years to build. If we'd given customers what they said they wanted, we'd have built a computer they'd have been happy with a year after we spoke to them - not something they'd want now.”
It’s clear Apple’s understanding of its customers runs deep. Yet, paradoxically, Jobs was famously opposed to market research. Rather, Apple’s intimacy with its customers has traditionally stemmed from the company’s empathy with their pain points and needs.
It’s this, above all, that’s driven Apple’s desire to innovate – to expand and evolve its offerings to meet not only its customers’ current requirements, but those of their futures, too.
Because if it isn’t game-changing, Apple won’t do it. The iPhone, iPod, and iPad were all ahead of their time, while iTunes was once the only legal online catalogue of songs to feature music from all five major record labels.
With Apple TV now producing original content and Apple Pay redefining how we shop, Apple’s innovation is a hallmark of its desire to grow with the needs of its users.
3. Stores Focusing On Customer Experience
“How does somebody know what they want if they haven't seen it?.”
It’s a good question, and one that continues to define how Apple operates its physical shops.
Apple’s retail departments and staff are built with the individual in mind – to ensure its customers have an experience, rather than simply make a purchase. Anyone who’s ever visited one of Apple’s stores will back this up, too – they’re places of wonder, where you can explore the latest technology at your own pace.
Apple’s use of CRM in-store is a testament to its long-term mentality. An immediate sale is good, but an ongoing relationship with a customer is more profitable. By foregoing conventional sales tactics, Apple’s shops create value by encouraging browsers to love and appreciate the benefits of having an iPhone, an iPad, or the latest Apple Watch.
And, by training its employees to understand (and not just sell to) those that enter its stores, Apple cultivates a more engaged, loyal customer base that prioritizes the person, rather than the product.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05AJwa1wmYVhTqYv9XvX9Xpi1Ko2ThLT4NSzFeWDXjUClR5sEmn7l8rCVWwgrO-_hYxuCDhpjFBB4MtmHO20OVZCGxGofYgjxKEnK-UvwgH8wmMMGZKRVbvwV9fzhlEMN1dCrRgbHTie7-wymRbfUoAjOzvC8AWASgWmZp4jvz4HFvLmdktbCAy3G/w446-h251/steve%20job2.jpg)
4. Branding That Speaks To A Generation
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works”
Apple is a cool company. Whether you buy into its products or not, Apple’s pull is undeniable. Boasting one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable brands in the world, it draws huge queues at product launches, while thousands of user-generated videos online are dedicated to ‘unboxing’ Apple devices.
But Apple’s brand is more than just a byproduct of designing products that look, feel, and work well. Its ecosystem of products – each of which functions seamlessly with the rest – engenders loyalty with the brand, while rewarding the customer for choosing Apple.
Better still, Apple’s branding has succeeded where plenty of other big companies have failed – by appealing to millennials. Research shows that Apple is one of the brands Generation Y (and Generation X, too!) feel most emotionally attached to, and it’s not hard to see why.
With simple, stripped-back product designs, a commitment to sustainability, and a playful tone of voice, Apple (quite literally) speaks to whole generations.
Comments
Post a Comment