Apple Ethno an Ethnographic Observation Term Paper

Total Length: 626 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

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Personnel are dressed in differently colored t-shirts intended to reflect tech support, sales associate, product specialist and managerial positions. This makes it easier for customers to identify the type of staff member who might be able to assist them. However, upon entrance, most customers are greeted by an employee who asks the purpose of the visit. He will then direct the customer to either the proper display or staff member according to the response. The size of the staff is usually large enough that the ratio of staff to customer was rarely worse that 1 to 3 even during the busiest moments. As a result, most customers were assisted in a timely fashion by sales associates who were attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. Personnel use walkie-talkies to communicate with one another inside the store, making response time to customer needs typically very fast. With wide aisles and sleek looking, uncluttered product displays, the stores have a cool, calming and modern look that is easy to navigate.With respect to technical support, the store uses an appointment system. Customers can call ahead and be given appointment times. There is a main counter where customers can both make payments and sit at stools while receiving technical support. A large LCD screen display stretches out behind the counter and present the current time as well as approaching appointments. This technique appears to nearly eliminate wait time, allowing customers to receive immediate assistance with existing products. There also appears to be very little bureaucratic obtuseness with respect to meeting customer needs. A damaged or malfunctioning product will be tested and replaced with minimal resistance or formality.

Ultimately, the layout, personnel and procedures used at the Apple Store are intuitive with respect to customer needs and innovative with respect to retail operation design. The outcome is a largely satisfied customer base with….....

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