Apple VP departs amidst Apple Care reorganization
The top dog of Apple customer support has exited the company ahead of significant changes to the struggling program.
Mark Wilhelm, former Vice President of Apple Care, has left Apple Computer, AppleInsider has learned.
Sources close to the computer maker said that Wilhelm parted ties with the company last Monday. AppleInsider later positively confirmed his departure through two independent sources, despite Apple's refusal to comment on the subject.
Wilhelm's departure comes amongst a major restructuring of the company's Apple Care customer support division, which sources said would be put into effect sometime this week.
A downsizing of Apple call centers is expected to follow the restructuring, as the company continues to outsource its customer support to locations in India, Holland and the United Kingdom.
It's unclear if Wilhelm departed from Apple on his own terms, or if he was forced out of the company. However, speaking to AppleInsider under anonymity, one source said that Wilhem was 'let go.'
Migrating to Apple from NeXT Software, which Apple acquired in 1996, Wilhelm climbed the corporate ladder to become vice president of Apple Care--a title he held for at least two and a half years. But unlike the company's prosperous iPod and retail divisions, Apple Care has been described by sources as 'a mess' that continues to underperform in terms of profitability.
Like several members of Apple's executive team who have recently cashed-in while riding the success of the company's recent stock surge, Wilhelm too stands to gain a pretty penny from options garnered throughout his tenure at Apple.
According to sources with ties to the computer maker, Wilhelm is likely to be succeeded by Farrel Farhoudi, a close associate who has recently acted as director of Apple Care's business development.
Neither Apple, nor Mr. Farhoudi were willing to comment on Wilhelm's replacement.
Mark Wilhelm, former Vice President of Apple Care, has left Apple Computer, AppleInsider has learned.
Sources close to the computer maker said that Wilhelm parted ties with the company last Monday. AppleInsider later positively confirmed his departure through two independent sources, despite Apple's refusal to comment on the subject.
Wilhelm's departure comes amongst a major restructuring of the company's Apple Care customer support division, which sources said would be put into effect sometime this week.
A downsizing of Apple call centers is expected to follow the restructuring, as the company continues to outsource its customer support to locations in India, Holland and the United Kingdom.
It's unclear if Wilhelm departed from Apple on his own terms, or if he was forced out of the company. However, speaking to AppleInsider under anonymity, one source said that Wilhem was 'let go.'
Migrating to Apple from NeXT Software, which Apple acquired in 1996, Wilhelm climbed the corporate ladder to become vice president of Apple Care--a title he held for at least two and a half years. But unlike the company's prosperous iPod and retail divisions, Apple Care has been described by sources as 'a mess' that continues to underperform in terms of profitability.
Like several members of Apple's executive team who have recently cashed-in while riding the success of the company's recent stock surge, Wilhelm too stands to gain a pretty penny from options garnered throughout his tenure at Apple.
According to sources with ties to the computer maker, Wilhelm is likely to be succeeded by Farrel Farhoudi, a close associate who has recently acted as director of Apple Care's business development.
Neither Apple, nor Mr. Farhoudi were willing to comment on Wilhelm's replacement.
Comments
customer support means having someone with skill and knowledge giving customers solutions, not just have some trained robot read a manual back at them. nor should it just be seen as another avenue to pursue profit.
I'm not saying I like or agree with it. It's extremely frustrating to have to call an international number, and be put on hold and subjected to Indian music, when our on-site IT guys are within shouting distance of my cube. But it is a reality of modern business, and Apple isn't the only one doing it.
It appears to be outsourcing to three regions it most certainly could gain in marketshare with having local support available.
I may be stretching on this but mindshare in Holland is a long stronger when it is supported in Holland and not from the U.S. exclusively. The same for the U.K. and India.
Fortunately for me, I live relatively close to an Apple Store. The people at the genius bar have graciously offered any support I've needed at no cost.
Originally posted by mdriftmeyer
One observation that may be more a matter of perception and not based upon factual documents is that Apple isn't centralizing its outsourcing.
It appears to be outsourcing to three regions it most certainly could gain in marketshare with having local support available.
I may be stretching on this but mindshare in Holland is a long stronger when it is supported in Holland and not from the U.S. exclusively. The same for the U.K. and India.
Actually studies in economic geography (ie the flow, distribution and localisation of economy and things closely tied to it) shows that this is a large factor for companies when outsourcing. Except getting access to new labour wich for diffrent reasons require less money, plus in some cases less taxes (can be negotiated in cases where it really shouldn't be so) more profitable goverment grants and so on.
The few times I have had to call Apple I have been connected to an Apple employee who worked hard to take care of me. An hidden benefit was that he was selling Apple as a company and Apple products through good service.
I believe that Apple, more than any other computer or tech company, benefits from their employees working customers through problems. It helps build that special relationship that Apple enjoys with their mac lovers.
Localized support can also be important in building that relationship. When Apple establishes a significant market somewhere, like the UK, then there is a benefit in providing localized support with Apple employees. Part of the benefit is easier communication (accents can be a problem at times) and part is cultural understanding.
For a Mac user with a problem customer care is just as important as design, OS X or iLife. I would hope that Apple would be as aggressive in being the best in this area as they are in the visual areas. Outsourcing is the equivalent of Apple moving to Windows.
I have had many problems with Apple's tech support. While they may make great products, there customer support isn't the greatest. And outsourcing it isn't the way to make it any better.
I mean, what is wrong with just keeping your customer support locally and training them to be the best. I realize that it may cost more, but the benefits are huge.
Happy customers are repeat customers. And repeat customers bring in new customers by recommending the company to their friends.
The service I received was patient and helpful - even if it took a 45 minute phone call - a 2nd level referral was needed to authorise a new part for my iMac G5. Perhaps speedier analysis would cut costs if throughput of calls is another benchmark?
This is not a political or globalization-correct observation: in my calls to Indian tech support call centers, 95% have been utterly useless due to communication barriers. Also, the agents did not have adequate technical training. Using an American name and taking a course that attempts to minimize your native Indian accent does not qualify you to provide quality tech support to this geographical area.
Enterprise (i.e., higher-paying) hardware and software buyers have forced vendors such as Dell to move their tech support back stateside. The average individual consumer of Dell, HP, or Compaq products is forced to accept inferior Indian tech support. Tech support is a drag on the bottom line- too often, management wants customers with problems to go away and find solutions themselves.
Apple would throw away their superior (deserved or not) tech support ratings by focusing on the bottom line while ignoring customer satisfaction.