I had two wildly different customer service experiences recently.
The first was at a nearby AT&T store as we tried to upgrade our phones – and it had everything you hope never to experience.
Attempts to sell you products based on incomplete information.
Multiple hours of waiting and back and forths.
Staff walking away mid-conversation to serve someone else and not taking accountability for the job being done.
Managers hovering but doing nothing.
The crazy part was being sent to the Apple Store because “it’ll be easier there.”
It was apathy all the way down.
We then interacted with four different people at the Apple Store – each one exceptional.
They cared.
They took accountability.
They stayed with us until things were resolved.
They kept humor and energy throughout.
It was genuinely impressive.
The previous day, we had stopped by Gordon Ramsay’s Burger for a quick meal, mostly because of our fondness for MasterChef. Again, the service was incredible – fast, attentive, and thoughtful.
I tried to unpack the difference.
Was the AT&T issue about monopolies? Probably not – Apple has an even stronger market position, and it hasn’t eroded their service.
Was it about training? Maybe partially, but that didn’t feel like the root cause.
The conclusion I came to was simple a somebody at the top gives a damn.
At Gordon Ramsay’s place, I’m sure everyone knows that Gordon cares deeply about the experience – and he hires people who care too.
At the Apple Store, the culture of caring goes all the way back to Steve Jobs and has been kept alive by the leadership team. You can feel it in every interaction.
And at that AT&T store? My guess is no one up top truly cares. Or at least, not enough to hire the right people, set the right expectations, or hold anyone accountable for the experience customers actually have.
It’s a reminder to anyone in a leadership role – what you consistently care about, measure, hire for, and reinforce eventually becomes the lived experience of your customers.
If you want customers to feel cared for, you need leaders who give a damn first – and then who hire people who do too.
