What Can the Church Leader Learn from Apple?

Last week, I made my latest visit to our local Apple Store here in Colorado Springs. I wasn’t there to look at the newest iPads or the oversized iPhone 6 Plus. I was there to visit a Genius. You know — those guys that are really smart and can use language that make most average Americans feel like idiots. Actually, while this is true that they have the ability to use their foreign tech language at will, they are some of the best customer service experts I’ve encountered.

My most recent experience with the Genius occurred when attempting to get an issue with my “music computer” resolved. This machine is my 2011 MacBook Pro that I use to play and record music. The issue started last Christmas when I was recording some music for our 12 Days of Christmas video at Church Community Builder. After spending a few hours working on the recording last December, the machine locked up. Froze. Died. Failed to respond. You get it. Mac or PC . . . we’ve all been there. AppleCare to the rescue. They replaced my hard drive while I grabbed another computer and re-recorded the tracks I’d already laid down. I was happy. Apple resolved my issue as always.

Fast forward nine months later and the battery on this same computer began acting crazy. My AppleCare warranty was about to expire so I took it into the Genius who did some tests and said it was fine. Two months later. Battery died. No power. Dead. You get it. Cue the Genius. Sure enough . . . the battery was dead (I figured that out and I’m not a Genius!). Despite the fact that my AppleCare had expired, they fixed the computer anyway. I was impressed. While they clearly didn’t have to do this, they did. I know other companies would have sent me away and said, “I’m sorry,” Apple didn’t. Problem solved. Happily ever after. The End.

Not so fast. Immediately upon replacing the battery I continued to have issues. This time after leaving my computer overnight, I attempted to login. The the screen was black. Can’t login. Can’t do anything. Froze. You get it. I rebooted with no resolution. I took it to the Genius again. Upon arriving at the AppleStore, I opened up the case. It was fine. Now, I know all of you have been there. This is the most frustrating thing I think I ever experience in life—looking like a total idiot when I know there is definitely a problem with this thing. The Genius was gracious. He encouraged me to format the drive and reinstall which I did — TWICE. And the problem continued. I went back to the Genius and again, opened the case, and here I am — a stark raving idiot once again. At this point I’m several months beyond the expiration of my AppleCare warranty. They willingly send the machine off to their testing facility of further diagnosis. Five days later I get the call that my computer is ready. Upon arriving at the Briargate AppleStore, they inform me that they have replaced the logic board for me at no cost because the issues have been clearly going on prior to the expiration of my warranty. They also assured me that if there were any more problems to bring it in, and they would resolve them.

PC users are probably laughing right now justifying their belief that Apple isn’t perfect, and I clearly have a bad machine. Agreed. However, it’s the service that I just experienced that keeps me going back. While I love their products, it’s their service that keeps me returning. While thinking through this recent experience, I had to wonder . . . what can the church learn from my most recent Apple experience?

They Care.

While Apple and the Church both can create amazing experiences for the people they serve, it’s the way people are treated that keeps them coming back. I love amazing experiences. It’s a value that I embrace as a leader. We all love amazing experiences. But we return because of how we are treated and how we are cared for.

Church Leaders . . . are you caring for your people well? Do you let them know that you care for them more than you care about your programs, processes, and procedures?

They Know Me.

Apple knew my story. If you’re ever had an issues with your equipment, you know that Apple documents things really well. When I go in with my computer, they have copious notes detailing everything they’ve done. The note taking portion isn’t what impressed me. It was the fact that they knew me. No matter which Genius met me on a given day, they knew me and my story. As a result, they took care of me well.

Church Leaders . . . do you know your people? Do you know their story? How do you document and keep track of that information so that your entire staff can care for the people well?