I read an interesting article that took an inside look at the training workbook for Geniuses at Apple stores. For those who don’t know the geniuses are the ones at the back of the store who help you with technical problems with your Apple gear.  Every experience I’ve had with them has been exceptional, so I was interested to see what sort of training they went though on the customer service side of things.

The article: “How To Be a Genius: This Is Apple’s Secret Employee Training Manual” details a learning program which demands a very controlled, prescriptive approach to the genius / customer interaction.  This would come as no surprise to people who watch Apple.  They are all about controlling the experience, from physical stores to the curated app store to unpacking your Apple gadget.

The article is an interesting read (even though it’s written on a tech site and not from a learning perspective).  The only thing I really wanted to add is that increasingly I see a push to loosen up control of how workers learn.  Empowering them with things like social learning and the 70:20:10 idea.   This approach seems to go in the opposite direction, be more controlling not less.  

I have a feeling it’s because it’s frontline staff  and as mentioned Apple loves to control things. I’m going to guess it’s different at head office at Apple where engineers and designers are freed to explore and learn in less prescriptive ways.  But in the end it’s working for Apple, the interactions I’ve had with geniuses have been a big part of my repeat business.

And next time you’re in an Apple store look out for the three F’s: Feel, Felt, Found.

Customer: This Mac is just too expensive.
Genius: I can see how you’d feel this way. I felt the price was a little high, but I found it’s a real value because of all the built-in software and capabilities.