The Customer Delight Formula
I’ve been using all sorts of phones over the years, most recently an iPhone 12 Pro Max. I purchase the device in January 2021 and have had exactly 0 issues with it.
The hardware is solid, yes I am using a screen protector and a phone case to protect it. Generally I also don’t throw it around. It looks like new.
The software is smooth and snappy like on day one. Yes, sometimes the 128GB of build in storage get’s a little tight. Then I will just offload all photos and videos to the cloud and I’m good to go for a few months again.
It’s a premium product for a premium price that I’ve used daily for 4 years without any problem. Amazing.
There is one thing though that starts degrading after a while - the battery. Mine is at 83%. It’s still enough to run the phone for most of the day without recharging but I’d like the extra few hours runtime back.
Here’s the customer service process:
login to the apple website with my Apple ID
pick my device from the list and choose what service I’d like
pick an appointment slot at the nearest Apple Store
that’s it!
This morning I went to the store (brought my son) and expected this to take a while.
6 Minutes after my appointment time a member of the service team walked into the room and called out my name. She then did some diagnostics on the phone for about 5 minutes and told me to come back in 60 min.
When we arrived back at the store an hour later, the phone was not ready yet. 10 minutes after that, it was.
Another friendly service person handed me the device and explained in every detail how the battery replacement went and that I had nothing to worry about in terms of water resistance - the new seal will be as good as the factory one. It was really surprising how much he knew about the actual process.
He then took a €99 payment and we were back on the way home.
What an incredibly simple and pleasurable experience. It was so simple and delightful that I am writing a blog post about it.
If that device can last me another 4 years, it will have outperformed all of my expectations.
Let’s say Apple comes out with another model that I really want, I’ll probably still get a solid resale value out of this one with a new battery.
Consider this customer - completely satisfied!
Apple will most likely keep me as a loyal customer for years to come.
PS: Not having my phone for an hour while out and about in the city was actually painful. Maybe I am relying a little too much on this technology. Maybe a fun self experiment - 30 days without a smartphone!?