Apple’s press conference explaining problems with the iPhone 4 antenna was, from a customer service standpoint, a decidedly mixed bag.
If you think about the classic formula for issuing a customer apology – acknowledge the problem, accept responsibility and offer a solution – Apple’s Steve Jobs got it partly right. Confirming the phone’s signal strength can be degraded if you hold it in a certain way was a positive step, and offering free cases to help prevent the problem was also a smart move.
They said there’s a problem and offered a solution. Which would have been great if they’d left it there.
But it’s the part in the middle of Apple’s event that isn’t resonating quite so well. Jobs spent a good four minutes showing other smartphones having apparent antenna problems, and another good chunk of the event using statistics to claim the problem’s being exaggerated by the press.
That may be true, but saying so vehemently and trying to minimize the problem’s severity dilutes the value of your apology and sends a decidedly mixed message.
