Apple got a bit of unwarranted press Tuesday when a training manual for its "genius" store employees leaked online.
The manual offers a sneak peak inside the more sacred of Apple retail store space - the Genius Bar - and showcases some of the odd quirks of life as an Apple employee: "psychological mastery, banned words, roleplaying," to name a few examples uncovered by Gizmodo.
The leaked handout - or "Genius Training Student Workbook" - presents a scintillating look at why Apple retail employees act and speak in the unique way they do.
The dirty details
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are nuances that come with donning the signature Apple Store T-shirt.
First off, training classes take a total of two weeks, covering such topics as, "The Power of Empathy" and the oft-maligned "Fearless Feedback" program for offering candid suggestions to fellow employees, as well as more technical instruction like, "Wireless Networking."
In general, employees are directed to sell Apple wares using a five-step approach, conveniently titled the, "APPLE" method - that's Approach, Probe, Present, Listen, and End.
Apple Store employees are given methods for responding to common questions and complaints with empathy - "I know you how feel," followed by an explanation - and receive a list of words or phrases that are verboten within the hallowed halls of Apple retail.
For example, "crash," "bug," and "incompatible" are less desirable than their replacements, "stops responding," "situation," or "does not work with," respectively.
That's only the tip of the Biddle's iceberg, however, as some of the examples provided by the Apple training manual are two-parts funny, one-part weird.
Take Apple's idea of a common interaction between employees when one's looking to offer another feedback: "Hi, fellow Genius. I overheard your conversation with your customer during the last interaction and I have some feedback if you have a moment. Is this a good time?"
Maybe that was one of Siri's contributions.
Via Gizmodo
