The uBreakiFix location in Cincinnati provided an interesting customer experience when I had them replace my iPhone battery. Photo by AuthenticityPR.
What should I write about this week?
I debated between Neanderthal PR, my interview with a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel sports journalist, or Southwest Airlines banning humanoid and animal-like robots from flying.
The world just provides an incessant array of fascinating topics to choose from.
1 Syllable Comms
My guess is Neanderthal PR sounded most intriguing to you.
Tangent: Have you played the game Poetry for Neanderthals? You divide into teams, and one person on each team helps teammates guess the words on a list by giving one-syllable hints while the other team carefully listens.
If a clue has more than one syllable or contains part of the word being guessed, an opposing team member bashes the hint-giver with an inflatable club.
However, our seven-year-old granddaughter will playfully whack you with this club if you so much as breathe wrong.
I thot to write this note like man from cave, but you may not like to read or think it worth your time. OK, put club down now, please.
Back to the real message I have for you…
Neanderthal Co. Naming
If a Neanderthal were to establish a device repair company, what would be a good name?
You guessed it (despite me using multi-syllable words): uBreakiFix
Here are 13 ways this naming strategy could be applied to other businesses, professionals, and even wild predators:
- Restaurant: uEatiFeed
- Shark: uSurfiFeast
- Bear: uHikeiMaul
- Storyteller: uHeariTell
- Plastic Surgeon: uAgeiTuck
- Dentist: uCrackiFill
- Casino: uBetiPay
- Paparazzi: uSneakiShoot
- Doctor: uSneezeiHeal
- Law Firm: uSueiWin
- Theater: uWatchiShow
- Politician: uVoteiSpin
- Mafia: ibreakaUarm
Oh, I could go on for a long time having fun with this. Goodness, I keep getting sidetracked by silliness. NOW onto the real meat of this message…
Filing Battery Charges Against Apple?
Several of my Apple devices have been having battery charging issues lately.
My MacBook Pro wasn’t holding a charge for very long. I was about to depart for Cincinnati for 12 days, so I looked up repair options.
I had previously changed the battery in one of my older laptops, but when I looked up how to change the battery in this model, there was no way I was going to tackle it.
There were about 75 different steps. It looked like you had to essentially disassemble the majority of the laptop. To top it off, the battery is glued in (who thought that was a good idea?).
You have to carefully melt the glue to remove it.
This repair was definitely not worth my time.
Looking up options in Cincinnati, I settled upon the store uBreakiFix. It’s a franchise with 700+ locations. So, I called. They said it would cost $300 and would take a week.
But then they said, “We may or may not repair it in shop.” Huh? How can you not know that?
Are you going to give it to a high school student to learn on?
I had no idea, but that statement didn’t make me feel comfortable.
So, I decided to call The Apple xChange in Tempe, Arizona. We lived only about 10 minutes away when we lived in Arizona. I’ve purchased all my Apple computers from them for many years now.
Their price was only $225 to replace the battery. Plus, they do the work in-store, and in one day. Much better deal, despite the shipping cost.
iCallphoneDrain
My iPhone 13 also needed a new battery. Its capacity was at 82%. They say anything below 85% is an issue.
I decided to have uBreakiFix replace it. Once I confirmed they had my battery in stock, I took it there and within an hour they had it replaced. It was fast and cost $112.
Let me share three observations about my customer experience (CX) at uBreakiFix:
- Pushy about selling their warranty plan. Upon check-in and then again upon checking out, they pushed their warranty plan on me. I was handed a flyer with all the details. For $29 a month, you can have all of your devices covered. I wasn’t interested.
- They forgot to apply my $10 off coupon. I told the fellow who checked me in I had a $10 off coupon. He said they’d apply it when I pay after the repair is completed. He then left for the day, and another employee checked me out. He didn’t apply the discount. I had to ask again. Slightly annoying and certainly inefficient CX.
- Gave great battery care tips — but only after I asked. Right before I left, I thought I’d ask what tips he had for prolonging an iPhone battery’s life. He gave three fantastic tips (sure, I suppose I could have looked these up online). But think how much more I would have been impressed had he proactively told me these tips or handed me a card with them listed. (See these three tips below.)
One other minor observation. The company name is written as uBreakiFix on their website, in press releases, etc. But as you can see by the photo accompanying this post, all the letters are lowercase. So, if I was in your communications department, I’d be a little confused as to the proper style for the company’s name.
But… It’s a Great Name
OK, so I’ve been lampooning the name uBreakiFix just a bit. Overall, it’s actually a great name because it succinctly communicates what the company does.
That’s why I’m always advising NOT to use your personal name as a company name (unless you’re the super rare exception like Michael Smart PR). It’s putting ego ahead of quickly communicating to potential customers what you can do for them.
The one drawback to the name uBreakiFix is it’s a bit presumptuous. What if you’re not the reason your device broke? What if it broke on its own? Then is your company better titled, “itBreakiFix”?
3 Ways to Prolong Your Cell Phone’s Battery Life
These are courtesy of uBreakiFix:
- Don’t use your phone while it’s charging.
- Let your phone totally discharge and shut itself off once monthly.
- Unplug your phone from the charger after it reaches 100%. Of course, that’s a problem if you plug your phone into charge before you go to sleep (like I do), so it’s fully charged when you awake the next morning.
The 3 Big Takeaways
- If you’re a repair shop and you tell a customer you may or may not do a particular repair in-shop, at least explain why.
- If your company name sounds like a Neanderthal speaking, will that image clash with your perceived value?
- Proactively think of ways to go above and beyond to create great CX.
Have you ever interacted with a uBreakiFix location? How was your CX? Do share!
Stay authentic real and know that comms is hard when all words have just a one-word beat!
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR (seen here in a vintage photo circa 1983 serendipitously doing a Clash impersonation in a since-forgotten location) is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s the Chief Authentic Officer of the Johnson City, TN-based public relations firm, AuthenticityPR. He also functions as the fractional CCO for his clients.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University (rise and shout!). He’s also accredited in public relations (APR). This Milwaukee, Wisconsin native holds an Italian citizenship and plans to live and work there someday. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies Italiano, practices guitar, write songs, gardens, works out, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves as an assistant communication director in his church, watches BYU football, enjoys watching the original Mission Impossible TV series, and plays board games (mostly Dominion and Seven Wonders). No, this guy’s never bored and looking for something to do. Email Jeff.
