Apple preps major update to Genius Bar reservation system
Apple Computer next week will launch a major update to the Genius Bar reservation system used by customers wishing to schedule an appointment for technical support or service at its many retail stores, AppleInsider has learned.
The new system, expect to be called "Concierge," will aim to streamline the reservation and repair process at Apple's stores, reducing the time customers have to wait before they can speak face-to-face with an Apple Genius, sources with ties to the company's retail division have revealed.
While often praised and recognized for providing one-on-one consultations with customers, Apple's retail store Genius Bars can at times become a source of frustration for customers who find themselves waiting endlessly to speak to a Genius during busy hours.
Sometimes customers wait hours, become fed up, and ultimately leave the company's stores disgruntled and without having solved their problem, said an Apple retail employee who works at one of the company's more prominent retail locations.
Often the source of long Genius Bar delays is a barrage customers demanding assistance with either dysfunctional or damaged iPod digital music players, the employee added. Customers with Macintosh-related issues are currently clumped into this mix and find themselves waiting endlessly for much-need computer service. Wait times for a 15 minute appointment have been known to balloon to five hours at some stores.
Under the new Concierge system, which retail employees sometimes refer to as "Maestro 2," Apple will begin segmenting customer requests into categories: those relating to iPods and those relating to Macs or other products. Instead of one waiting line for the Genius Bar, the new system will reportedly service two lines simultaneously -- one for iPods and one for Mac-related issues.
Concierge will also sport a simplified interface reminiscent of the clearly-orchestrated Apple.com support website, sources said. The main page of the system will offer clear and concise instructions that will step customers through the reservation process and prompt them to input less information than in the past.
Customers looking for help with their iMac will simply need to select the iMac icon to begin their registration process, while those needing assistance with iPhoto, for instance, will click on the iLife icon and be transfered into the store's Creative Bar service. Sources say Apple retail stores that do not feature a Creative Bar (or Studio) will place Creative staff behind the Genius Bar to field Creative-related questions from customers.
Along with its transition to the new Concierge system, sources say Apple will also be working to increase the number of Geniuses and Creatives on hand at its stores.
Most of the changes being made to the Genius Bar reservation system have come as a result of customer surveys, which Apple sometimes conducts at its retail stores, offering willing participants cash incentives to accurately respond to questions about their Genius Bar experience.
The new system, expect to be called "Concierge," will aim to streamline the reservation and repair process at Apple's stores, reducing the time customers have to wait before they can speak face-to-face with an Apple Genius, sources with ties to the company's retail division have revealed.
While often praised and recognized for providing one-on-one consultations with customers, Apple's retail store Genius Bars can at times become a source of frustration for customers who find themselves waiting endlessly to speak to a Genius during busy hours.
Sometimes customers wait hours, become fed up, and ultimately leave the company's stores disgruntled and without having solved their problem, said an Apple retail employee who works at one of the company's more prominent retail locations.
Often the source of long Genius Bar delays is a barrage customers demanding assistance with either dysfunctional or damaged iPod digital music players, the employee added. Customers with Macintosh-related issues are currently clumped into this mix and find themselves waiting endlessly for much-need computer service. Wait times for a 15 minute appointment have been known to balloon to five hours at some stores.
Under the new Concierge system, which retail employees sometimes refer to as "Maestro 2," Apple will begin segmenting customer requests into categories: those relating to iPods and those relating to Macs or other products. Instead of one waiting line for the Genius Bar, the new system will reportedly service two lines simultaneously -- one for iPods and one for Mac-related issues.
Concierge will also sport a simplified interface reminiscent of the clearly-orchestrated Apple.com support website, sources said. The main page of the system will offer clear and concise instructions that will step customers through the reservation process and prompt them to input less information than in the past.
Customers looking for help with their iMac will simply need to select the iMac icon to begin their registration process, while those needing assistance with iPhoto, for instance, will click on the iLife icon and be transfered into the store's Creative Bar service. Sources say Apple retail stores that do not feature a Creative Bar (or Studio) will place Creative staff behind the Genius Bar to field Creative-related questions from customers.
Along with its transition to the new Concierge system, sources say Apple will also be working to increase the number of Geniuses and Creatives on hand at its stores.
Most of the changes being made to the Genius Bar reservation system have come as a result of customer surveys, which Apple sometimes conducts at its retail stores, offering willing participants cash incentives to accurately respond to questions about their Genius Bar experience.
Comments
I was so damn mad I let him have it and reminded him that 20 iPod customers would not equal my 1 PowerMac purchase and they needed to recognize that.
Also, a woman who had waited in the store for 2 hours ahead of me was cursing quit loudly that she thought Apple's service sucked and she would never buy another Apple product (this in a store full of kids and new Apple customers).
I was ashamed and angry to be an Apple stockholder on that day!
--B
Originally posted by SpamSandwich
I was so damn mad I let him have it and reminded him that 20 iPod customers would not equal my 1 PowerMac purchase and they needed to recognize that.
So you paid 6k for your powermac?
Obviously by this move Apple has recognized some issues and is revamping the system, yet you continue to whine.
Originally posted by Gene Clean
People in the Apple Store in North Michigan Avenue here in Chicago wait up to 7 hours to get to speak to a Genius. That's poor customer service. I'm glad they're doing something about it.
The most I've had to wait there was 30 minutes... lucky me
[edit] Oh, and something I noticed the two times I visited that store:
They often disregarded the set line and seemed to have geniuses following a protocol similar to the one outlined in the report above. For instance, I spoke to a person about replacing my iPod photo who had been dealing with only ipods for the past 30 minutes while there was another person who seemed to lean towards helping power users, and even another that was kind of in-between but with a slight focus on the consumer machines. I should note that while they disregarded the line a bit they also kept serving people in a timely and fair manner, so I was impressed (half an hour isn't so long when you can play around with so many pretty gadgets).
This was, of course, was not during peak hours.
Originally posted by Lupa
The most I've had to wait there was 30 minutes... lucky me
It used to be a lot quieter before the entire iPod nano/Video thing. You could actually get to a Genius in 30 minutes or so.. now, ehem, it takes hours.
I generally go to the one in Old Orchard Mall. It's smaller, has less Geniuses, but is often less busy too. And the employees seem to be... more flexible, so to speak. If you're around, and you need to go to an Apple Store, you might wanna check it out.
How do you get a job at an Apple store? Amazingly blind luck. Apple, like most companies, has decided that manners no longer matter. Having used Macs since 1984, I have applied for a job when an Apple store opened in my area. Calls to the mamanagers always promised "We will be taking action on that shortly."
As a consequence, I will never buy anything at an Apple store. I will use them for support. I will recommend them to Switchers, only because they will need the support. But for my purchases, I will buy somewhere else.
Now the apple store runneth over every day and especially weekends... it's shoulder-against-shoulder in that store during the day...
Originally posted by Ichiban_jay
ah, good memories just 2 years ago when almost nobody went to the Genius Bar and you didn't have to make an appointment...
Now the apple store runneth over every day and especially weekends... it's shoulder-against-shoulder in that store during the day...
It's also impossible to try out the new computers. I finally got myself onto a new iMac the other day and I was ushered off by an Apple store employee who wanted to show a customer something. This was particularly disheartening when I wanted to try out the iSight and other users were checking their e-mail!
One time I was given a pager so I could wander the mall while waiting for an appointment, which was nice.
Apple stores do need to be better about their help, they should have more people trained and ready to help with the Genius Bar. I think the paperwork and parts inventory system could be streamlined as well. They had to check in back to see if a replacement part was in stock, that should have been easy to check in the computer.
I like the service when I do get it, I hope this update improves how quickly customers can get help.
There definitely needs to be a separation of hardware, with iPods getting their own lines. The potential of a store employee who is not with a customer taking care of minor issues should also be considered. There also needs to be a procedure when a replacement is necessary to turn the customer over to someone who can handle that quickly for the customer and open up the GB employee for the next customer.
It is always far cheaper to keep a customer than to get a new one and Apple is excellent in caring for their customers in most areas. Improving the work flow at the GB is one area where they need bring things up to speed.
Originally posted by kenaustus
There also needs to be a procedure when a replacement is necessary to turn the customer over to someone who can handle that quickly for the customer and open up the GB employee for the next customer.
I agree with most of what you're saying but handing customers over to other people can be frustrating for the customer as they have to explain again.
Originally posted by SpamSandwich
This should satisfy some of us who spend a boatload of money on our Apple purchases. I gave the "genius" at the Genius Bar an earful who made me wait for hours while he pissed around with iPod users who usually had damaged their own iPod, or had damaged mp3 files (causing a need for a reset) or had battery questions that could have been answered on the Apple web site.
I was so damn mad I let him have it and reminded him that 20 iPod customers would not equal my 1 PowerMac purchase and they needed to recognize that.
Also, a woman who had waited in the store for 2 hours ahead of me was cursing quit loudly that she thought Apple's service sucked and she would never buy another Apple product (this in a store full of kids and new Apple customers).
I was ashamed and angry to be an Apple stockholder on that day!
Ok, so you've bought a boatload of apple equipemnt (and like was pointed out, apparently a really expensive powermac), but you're too cheap to spend the $100 on the 'pro' care stuff they offer, which gets you reservations and supposed priority?
And what's apple supposed to do if 20 people come into a store one morning, just go "Hey, we're taking people in order of amount spent!". Or maybe announce "Hey, we've got a lotta customers today. Anyone want to become a genius-for-a-day and help us slog through this mess?" And while you're pissed because they can't help you quick enough, what if you were the person being helped, and then basically shuffled off before you felt your problems/questions were answered. If you were the iPod owner whose iPod kept freezing. "Oh, sorry, I can't help you now. There's a customer here who's spent more money then you." (Yeah, people just love that happening to them).
How would you like that?
You: "Hey, I'm having this problem. My powermac is freezing regularly and gets the 5-language-reboot screen..."
Genuis: "Oh, you've got a corrupt kext file. Thanks and come again. Next!"
Yeah, I'm sure you would've loved that service.
Originally posted by Louzer
Ok, so you've bought a boatload of apple equipemnt (and like was pointed out, apparently a really expensive powermac), but you're too cheap to spend the $100 on the 'pro' care stuff they offer, which gets you reservations and supposed priority?
And what's apple supposed to do if 20 people come into a store one morning, just go "Hey, we're taking people in order of amount spent!". Or maybe announce "Hey, we've got a lotta customers today. Anyone want to become a genius-for-a-day and help us slog through this mess?" And while you're pissed because they can't help you quick enough, what if you were the person being helped, and then basically shuffled off before you felt your problems/questions were answered. If you were the iPod owner whose iPod kept freezing. "Oh, sorry, I can't help you now. There's a customer here who's spent more money then you." (Yeah, people just love that happening to them).
How would you like that?
You: "Hey, I'm having this problem. My powermac is freezing regularly and gets the 5-language-reboot screen..."
Genuis: "Oh, you've got a corrupt kext file. Thanks and come again. Next!"
Yeah, I'm sure you would've loved that service.
wow, you've got a lot of anger!
Originally posted by MacCrazy
wow, you've got a lot of anger!
Nah, just irritated by people who only see customer service as service for themselves, and not others. I mean, read the guy's post again. He basically wants the geniuses to tell those other people "Hey, don't bother me. You can find this information on-line." (assuming the person has access to the internet, not everyone does you know). Yet the same person would complain if he got the same treatment from a customer service rep.
Originally posted by Louzer
Nah, just irritated by people who only see customer service as service for themselves, and not others. I mean, read the guy's post again. He basically wants the geniuses to tell those other people "Hey, don't bother me. You can find this information on-line." (assuming the person has access to the internet, not everyone does you know). Yet the same person would complain if he got the same treatment from a customer service rep.
You've got some fair points but he does as well. Mac users are feeling a little bit left out - I myself felt a little neglected at the Apple store. In the past I've been very positive about the freedom Apple employees give customers, they print maps and let users check e-mail etc. However, this is actually detrimental as customers can't get on a computer unless they speak to a employee first.
Waiting for the Genius Bar under the current system can be frustrating, depending on the time of day, the store location, and other factors. At my local Apple store, I don't think I've ever been able to see a Genius in less than an hour, and usually it's taken much more than that. Frequently, the time I've been able to see a Genius isn't even within an hour of the scheduled time I'm told to come back. And this was before the Nanos.
I've never complained about it; I appreciate the time the Geniuses take with their customers and I know they're often overworked. I'm a very patient person, and I don't mind the wait.
What this proves is that Apple isn't perfect; no company is. But Apple is still #1 in my book when it comes to working hard to keep their customers happy.