{"id":1288,"date":"2014-12-04T07:43:28","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T14:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/?p=1288"},"modified":"2014-12-04T07:43:28","modified_gmt":"2014-12-04T14:43:28","slug":"what-can-the-church-leader-learn-from-apple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/what-can-the-church-leader-learn-from-apple\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can the Church Leader Learn from Apple?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, I made my latest visit to our local Apple Store<\/a> here in Colorado Springs. I wasn\u2019t there to look at the newest iPads or the oversized iPhone 6 Plus. I was there to visit a Genius. You know \u2014 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\u2019ve encountered.<\/p>\n

My most recent experience with the Genius occurred when attempting to get an issue with my \u201cmusic computer\u201d 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<\/a> video at Church Community Builder<\/a>. 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\u2019ve all been there. AppleCare to the rescue. They replaced my hard drive while I grabbed another computer and re-recorded the tracks I\u2019d already laid down. I was happy. Apple resolved my issue as always.<\/p>\n

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\u2019m not a Genius!). Despite the fact that my AppleCare had expired, they fixed the computer anyway. I was impressed. While they clearly didn\u2019t have to do this, they did. I know other companies would have sent me away and said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Apple didn\u2019t. Problem solved. Happily ever after. The End.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t login. Can\u2019t 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\u2014looking 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 \u2014 TWICE. And the problem continued. I went back to the Genius and again, opened the case, and here I am \u2014 a stark raving idiot once again. At this point I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n

PC users are probably laughing right now justifying their belief that Apple isn\u2019t perfect, and I clearly have a bad machine. Agreed. However, it\u2019s the service that I just experienced that keeps me going back. While I love their products, it\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n

They Care.<\/h2>\n

While Apple and the Church both can create amazing experiences for the people they serve, it\u2019s the way people are treated that keeps them coming back. I love amazing experiences. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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?<\/em><\/p>\n

They Know Me.<\/h2>\n

Apple knew my story. If you\u2019re 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\u2019ve done. The note taking portion isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, I made my latest visit to our local Apple Store here in Colorado Springs. I wasn\u2019t there to look at the newest iPads or the oversized iPhone 6 Plus. I was there to visit a Genius. You know \u2014 those guys that are really smart and can use language that make most average […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31],"tags":[23,75,58,47,46],"class_list":["post-1288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main","tag-apple","tag-church","tag-leadership","tag-music","tag-pastoring"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Apple_Logo.jpg?fit=600%2C250&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pzg9k-kM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1338,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/christmas-letter-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":0},"title":"Christmas Letter 2015","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"December 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been awhile since we've sent a family Christmas letter, but this year has been filled with so many changes that we thought we should update all of you on the latest on the Plotner's in Colorado. 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I'm nearly finished with a two-year process of earning my master's degree so this is my typical evening agenda. However, I sometimes get a slow start as I'll begin by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":210477,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/the-dynamic-duo-why-your-church-needs-both-a-website-and-an-app\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":2},"title":"The Dynamic Duo: Why Your Church Needs Both a Website and an App","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"May 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In the digital era, churches must utilize both websites and apps to effectively reach and engage their congregations. Websites act as a welcoming front door, providing new visitors with an overview and access to services and information. Apps, conversely, deepen engagement for established church members, offering tailored content and resources\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1543,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/big-givers-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":3},"title":"Big Givers 2016","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"November 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"My family and I are excited to be a part of a wonderful event this holiday season. Help a family in need by sponsoring them, shopping for their Christmas gifts, and then delivering them to their home \u2014 all in the matter of one afternoon. Watch this video and visit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1090,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/maybe-its-time-to-layoff-a-few-circus-jugglers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":4},"title":"Maybe It’s Time to Layoff a Few Circus Jugglers","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"February 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I am confronted with this issue every single day of my life. I have been for quite a while but this one seems to get bigger rather than smaller. Here's my observation \u2014 we're all busy; too busy. American is filled with more to do. We have endless entertainment choices,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/20130216-234859.jpg?fit=272%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":993,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/out-of-the-big-box\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":5},"title":"Out of The Big Box","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"March 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I haven't always been a Starbuck's fan but in the last year or so have grown more accustomed to hanging out there and having an occasional meeting there. 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