14 DAY TRIAL // Dissipating some of the controversy surrounding Apple’s retail division lately, the newly-hired John Browett (in charge of Apple’s retail segment following the departure of Ron Johnson) addressed his troops via a video stream this week.
A transcript (and recording) leaked on the web indicates that Browett is not the guy who we were led to believe he was – a boss who would put aside some of Apple’s values in favor of profits.
His words emphasize a high degree of trust in Apple’s retail staffers, the actual people behind the amazing service offered by the Cupertino giant worldwide.
“The first thing I wanted to say, was, I am truly amazed and impressed by the fantastic service that I see in every store every day,” he said. “It’s an incredible achievement. We are by far and away the best service-based retailer in the world and you can see it in the stores. It’s just incredibly impressive.”
“It’s all about our people and their delivery of that service,” Browett noted. “When I’ll be watching people resolving problems in the family room, or selling people their very first Apple device, it’s all done with such a great sense of service and purpose. It’s just fantastic.”
The full transcript is well worth a read but, of course, deeds are far better than words. So we’ll just have to wait and see how everything turns out.
Apple’s SVP of retail included a teaser about the company’s upcoming line of products.
The Mac maker’s first fiscal quarter for 2013 begins next month. Q1, Browett says, “is going to be really fun and exciting; it’s going to be kind of crazy from time to time because we’ve got some brilliant stuff coming through. And, I wanted to thank you for your work in doing that really well.”
He ended his speech with promises of change, both for the customer, and for the retail staffer working the floor.
He specifically said, “you will see a number of improvements which are coming through, which are going to make it better for the customer and easier for you to do you jobs.”
“And that’s what my job is all about; my job is to make sure that we are constantly improving things and that we find ways to make it better for the customer and easier for you to give that amazing service,” he concluded.