Customers that care

I visited the new Apple store in NYC on 14th Street yesterday. This one isn't as flashy as the one in midtown, and it has a fairly annoying design flaw. The two front doors don't close. Push them open, walk away and the door stays open.

On one visit, they had two full-time employees standing there, walking over to each door to close it. At the time, I figured it was actually a design feature... they had a doorman. How quaint.

Yesterday, though, with the temperature outside about 45, they just left both doors open.

I asked Jeff, the employee greeting visitors, "why don't you guys keep the door shut?" After all, it seems extremely wasteful. Al Gore is on the board, but even if he wasn't, it must be costing them a fortune.

Jeff told me that people complain all the time and it can't be fixed.

Obviously, not everyone complains all the time. Perhaps it's just a few a day. But the people who complain, care. And it's the customers that care that actually have a huge impact on your business.

If no one cares, you've got trouble. Goal one is getting people to care. Goal two: listening to them.