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A Geek's Guide to Great Service

10:32 AM Thursday August 7, 2008

Tags:Entrepreneurship, Organizational culture, Strategy

There are two sides to the technology-fueled revolution that shapes how we live and work. There's the miracle of the products themselves, from super-sleek laptops to ultra-cheap digital cameras. Then there's the misery of trying to install those products, connect them, or figure out how to use them in the first place.

It is this blend of the miraculous and the miserable that has propelled the rise of Robert Stephens and his colleagues at the Geek Squad--tech-support specialists who travel to your home or office, or help you in a Best Buy store, with a troublesome computer, mobile phone, home-theater system, or any other gadget.

There's no denying the Geek Squad has style. The company's field agents wear a recognizable uniform: white short-sleeve dress shirts, black clip-on ties, black pants, white socks, and black shoes (with the Geek Squad logo in the sole). They drive to client locations in identical cars: black-and-white VW Beetles with the Geek Squad logo on the door. And their job titles speak for themselves. Robert Stephens is chief inspector. His rank-and-file colleagues are "special agents." Geeks who work inside the stores are "counter-intelligence agents."

There's also no denying the Geek Squad's growth. Stephens started the company in 1994, when he was a college student. Best Buy acquired Geek Squad back in 2002, when it had 60 employees and annual revenues of $3 million. Today, still under the founder's leadership, the Geek Squad employs more than 15,000 agents, generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue, and is a crucial part of Best Buy's strategy to provide high-touch service as well as high-tech gadgets.

Still, when I sat down with Robert Stephens at Best Buy headquarters, I was not prepared for how savvy and tough-minded he is about the right way to deliver unforgettable service. I wanted to talk about how a young entrepreneur could shake things up inside a giant company like Best Buy. He wanted to talk about the discipline it takes for young employees to deliver great results inside the homes of confused and frustrated customers.

Stephens is obsessed with hiring right--especially given how fast the Geek Squad is growing. "Training is a tax you pay for a lousy hiring environment," he says. So what traits does Stephens look for in aspiring Geeks? "Curiosity, ethics, and drive. Those are the things we can't teach." As for training, he says, "Our most important training program is the employee discount." Geeks can buy the latest and greatest technology at discounts of 50-60%. The more they use it, play with it, and push it, the better they get at installing and repairing it.

Stephens may not be a fan of old-fashioned, HR-driven training, but he's a big believer in ritual, tradition, and cultural indoctrination. There is, for example, the matter of the uniform. "It's a litmus test for some people," Stephens reports. "They say, 'I'm not wearing that!' In which case we know they're not ready to sign on."

The uniform is also a symbol of well, uniformity. It reinforces the message that there are consistent ways in which the 15,000 Geeks are expected to behave with customers and among themselves. "Wearing a tie used to be a sign of conformity," says Stephens. "Now it's like an act of rebellion--nobody dresses up anymore. The uniforms are visible and distinct. Plus, those ties let me apply a little pressure around the neck!"

To make his point, the Chief Inspector hands me a copy of The Little Orange Book, a truly remarkable guide to great service (produced by the squad's Ministry of Propaganda) that Stephens intends as a bible of sorts for how Geeks do their work. Here's the six-point pledge that every Geek is expected to sign. I will:

  1. Never violate the trust of my clients or disrespect their property.
  2. Never say, "I don't know." Instead, say, "I'll find out."
  3. Always understand that my clients' time is more valuable than my own.
  4. Assume every problem is my fault, unless proven otherwise.
  5. Consider my job done only when my client is completely overwhelmed with joy. And instead of assuming they're happy, I'll ask them.
  6. Keep every promise I make. Including this one.

Lofty goals--which Geeks are expected to fulfill with great attention to detail. It is official policy that employees drive their Geekmobiles at 5 miles per hour below the speed limit. They are also expected to arrive for appointments five minutes before the designated time, and offer to take off their shoes before entering the client's home. And don't even think about pocket protectors! Geeks are forbidden to put anything--pens, eyeglasses, screwdrivers--in the pocket of their white shirt.

Geeks who commit egregious violations of these policies wear the Mother Board of Shame (MBoS)--a big circuit board with a painted S that hangs around the neck. "The MBoS is a rite of passage," explains The Little Orange Book, "similar to the squeaky voice and foul body odor that accompany puberty."

If it all seems a touch fanatical, well, maybe that's what it takes to do something remarkable for customers. And that's the ultimate goal for Robert Stephens, who also likes to say that "marketing is a tax you pay for being unremarkable."

What are you doing to be remarkable for customers? How is your company unleashing its inner Geek?

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Comments

The pledge tells the geeks to "Assume every problem is my fault, unless proven otherwise" and "Geeks who commit egregious violations of these policies wear the Mother Board of Shame (MBoS)" - and all of this is done to earn barely a living wage. This sounds great if you want to get passive aggressive employees who have no self respect. No wonder there's lots of negative stories and comments about the organization:
http://consumerist.com/consumer/geek-squad/

- Posted by Jerrold 
August 9, 2008 12:15 AM

hire people who are curious (not curious people)....great advice.

- Posted by steve clayton 
August 9, 2008 8:43 AM

My experience with Geek Squad has always been exceptional - EASILY meeting and even surpassing the six point checklist listed here.

There's something about those cars and the uniforms that are strangely reassuring. lol

Great article!

Jeannette
http://goodvibeblog.com

- Posted by Jeannette Maw 
August 9, 2008 12:13 PM

Fundamentally, Geek Squad is -just- a franchise brand.

There is no guarantee that Geek Squad is any more uniform or consistent than the management between a series of given stores.

Geek Squad must have the ability to attract talent willing to perform tasks and be compensated below market value to generate the margins Geek Squad enjoys. The quality of how the task is performed is only partially relevant to the economic transaction.

It's one thing to say you foster of a fanatical environment to produce "McDonald's french fries". It's quite another to execute with flawless consistency. And yet, your customer still paid for "fries".

- Posted by Jay 
August 9, 2008 12:15 PM

To piggyback on Jerrold, Geek Squad is consistently complained about on the Consumerist. I was surprised to see an article praising their employees' ethic and culture.

The 6 rules also amused me as you could probably find a story on the Consumerist in which each one of those rules were broken. I especially enjoyed the comment about hiring "curious people" considering the reports of Geek Squad employees perusing and copying personal documents, pictures and movies (including pornography) that are on laptops of clients to their company issued USB flash drives.


- Posted by Brian 
August 25, 2008 4:40 PM

There is no substitute for good service and expert advice. I find that many of the shop assistants in stores are often casuals with very little product knowledge. I prefer to use someone like Geek Squad and I am willing to pay for it

- Posted by Pieter 
May 3, 2009 8:11 AM

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Bill Taylor

William C. Taylor is an agenda-setting writer, speaker, and entrepreneur. His new project, Practically Radical, chronicles the radical shifts transforming business and the practical steps that will determine who wins. His most recent book,Mavericks at Work, has been a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller. As cofounder of Fast Company, he launched a magazine that earned a passionate following around the world. He is an adjunct lecturer at Babson College and a former associate editor of Harvard Business Review.

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