Apple Introduces Major Retail Changes, Including New Pro-Level Positions and Credo

[lolkthxbai]

While paying the pool of staff less.

Equal work, equal pay. If you read the article again you'll notice that a Genius still does more than a Tech Expert would do or be responsible for. So what's the issue? You think employees should be able to go from Tech Specialist straight to Genius? If they really deserve it, why not? Where did it say in the article that they MUST go through each one in some particular order? Paying the pool of employees more or less is just a side-effect of introducing a new position. But if a Tech Expert got paid more than a Genius even though a Genius has more responsibilities, you think that'd be okay?

 

[Jimrod]

Seriously, I think the current product line needs to be streamlined. However, that does not mean to axe the mini-product line. iPad mini, iPhone 5se (se?!) seem to be very successful as an (entry level) product.

They shouldn't be treated as "Entry level" by Apple - many, quite possibly MOST of the people buying them do so because of the size, not the price. They should be matching the performance and features of the larger models where possible and keep helping to increase Apple's sales rather than restricting everything interesting to the phablets that many (like me) won't ever buy.

 

[lolkthxbai]

Not trying to be patronizing, and Apple certainly is far from perfect, but the lack of perspective on these forums is astounding. Apple support is the envy of the tech world, yet you label their service as "horrible."

http://bgr.com/2015/05/26/apple-customer-service-genius-bar/

It's because Apple has created a culture of entitled customers. So when you provide world-class support, even when the store is jam-packed, they still bitch and moan. The more efficient they become the wilder the customer's expectations get. Because if I bought a Nexus 6P surely I could go to the Google Store and get my USB-C cable swapped out on the spot. Oh wait...
[doublepost=1471851081][/doublepost]

They're getting the "backstage" term from Disney, that's what Disney parks have always called areas where guests aren't allowed. It makes somewhat sense at Disney, because that's actually entertainment.

Why would it not make somewhat sense at an Apple Store? Backstage is where actors get ready to entertain and the behind-the-scenes crew supports them. In Apple's case, backstage the employees get ready to interact with customers while others manage product coming in or delivering it to the floor.

 

[rekcck]

Just makes me cringe reading this. Reminds me of the BS titles and gimmicky chants Best Buy used to make us all do when I worked a high school job there. LOL. Employees just roll their eyes at this stuff.

As far as "Backstage" and other silly names for parts of the store, it just smells like moldy cheese... like Apple is trying to reinvent the wheel, at least from a customer outside-in view. It looks stupid and makes it feel like Apple is belittling me as a customer.

The problem as I see it as a long time customer, is that the method of hiring has changed so much since the "old days" ... used to be when you walked into an Apple Store, you were greeted by people passionate about the product. I know a lot about the technical side of Apple products, and loved that someone working in a retail store was at the same level and could talk the talk. It seems like their pay back then got that sort of employee, but it seems like pay hasn't changed, so now for the same pay 15 years later they get basic retail employees.

Now it seems when you go in, the employees working are just regular retail drones, many of which don't have or want an iPhone, and don't have or want a Mac, they just need a job while in school, or a job to make some summer money. The hiring has shifted, maybe a result of such low unemployment, not sure. Yeah some of the old days guys are there, but not many.

It's just really sad to see where Apple Retail was and where it is today. It's not the experience Steve wanted when he launched the store. I understand times change, and retail does as well, but it feels like with Angela in charge things have gone from great, to status quo retail, to now just weird and unproductive.

Hopefully things get better, because I'm not sure how many more product launches I can sit through where I go in and am told to get the product they have sitting in their back room I have to go online and order it then come back.

i wanted to work for Apple because i love Apple and was lucky to be invited for a recruiting event after applying for positions for more than four years. i walked away with a bitter taste in my mouth and weeks later was told they hired candidates better qualified for the positions they were recruiting.

Went to see the great talent they recruited and felt satisfied for not getting a job.

Steve would never hire someone like Angela and i feel sad to see the vision he had for Apple get screwed everyday by people with no passion, taste or class

 

[ackmondual]

iPhone Pro is definitely happening next year.

More precisely, Plus will be renamed as Pro.

The lineup will be streamlined and make more sense:

Mac - Mac Pro
MacBook - MacBook Pro
iPhone - iPhone Pro
iPad - iPad Pro

The MacBook Pro will now be called the MacBook Pro Pro

 

[CFreymarc]

iPhone Pro is definitely happening next year.

More precisely, Plus will be renamed as Pro.

The lineup will be streamlined and make more sense:

Mac - Mac Pro
MacBook - MacBook Pro
iPhone - iPhone Pro
iPad - iPad Pro

and Apple Watch 2

 

[CarpalMac]

iPhone Pro is definitely happening next year.

More precisely, Plus will be renamed as Pro.

The lineup will be streamlined and make more sense:

Mac - Mac Pro
MacBook - MacBook Pro
iPhone - iPhone Pro
iPad - iPad Pro

I'll be quite happy keeping with my iPhone 6S Expert...

 

[truthertech]

Except this is not my quote. Ill let you reread the thread and let the penny drop.

In my point of view apple has the best support, I have never turned up without an appointment, though I have really struggled to get an appointment (london White city store).

Except this is not my quote. Ill let you reread the thread and let the penny drop.

In my point of view apple has the best support, I have never turned up without an appointment, though I have really struggled to get an appointment (london White city store).

Yes, my apologies, I linked to the wrong reply and it was another poster who said The support at Apple Stores was horrible.

 

[G4DPII]

If Apple want to make the customer experience better, bring back the till. So you don't have to spend time talking to 6 different people because none of them are allowed to do the basic function of a shop.

You walk in get pick up what you want and go and pay for it, not hang around waiting for someone to be free.

 

[smacrumon]

Equal work, equal pay. If you read the article again you'll notice that a Genius still does more than a Tech Expert would do or be responsible for. So what's the issue? You think employees should be able to go from Tech Specialist straight to Genius? If they really deserve it, why not? Where did it say in the article that they MUST go through each one in some particular order? Paying the pool of employees more or less is just a side-effect of introducing a new position. But if a Tech Expert got paid more than a Genius even though a Genius has more responsibilities, you think that'd be okay?

You've missed the point of my reply. It's not a "side-effect", it means reducing reliance on higher paid staff (Genius) by introducing "Tech Expert" roles who do some of the Genius work but at a lower wage. Total rubbish move by Apple.

 

[lolkthxbai]

Anytime a liquid indicator is added to a product, it is added to save money. It is there to save Apple money from fixing something caused by intentional damage. Why else put it there? And based on this AppleCare document, I can safely reach the conclusion that it is there exclusively to save Apple money and deny customer repairs. I worked for Apple in AppleCare support and I can tell you from experience Apple is very interested in denying service for intentional damage.

Liquid indicators are added to... drum roll please... indicate the presence of liquid! You know, because electorinics and liquid don't do so well together! And let's be honest, if you owned Company X that made Product Z and you were replacing a product for a customer, at your own cost, because of intentional or accidental damage, you'd also add an indicator to your product so your "loyal" customers don't drive you broke and maybe teach them to take ownership of their devices. Apple shouldn't be babying a customer that hasn't accepted responsibility for their device. No one likes taking the blame for someone else's mistake. It's like getting sued for something that you had no control
over! Indicators don't lie but people do. Apple knows this and they're not stupid.
[doublepost=1471853151][/doublepost]

You've missed the point of my reply. It's not a "side-effect", it means reducing reliance on higher paid staff (Genius) by introducing "Tech Expert" roles who do some of the Genius work but at a lower wage. Total rubbish move by Apple.

It is a side-effect! Now, instead of having ONLY Geniuses working on iPhone repairs they can pay someone a higher wage than before to do those repairs too, so now that Genius that was removed from the repair queue can be moved to take Mac appointments. Amazing how that works: the employee wins by getting paid more and the customer wins by the increased Mac availability! If I were an employee I can't see how I'd be upset. And as a customer, I'd love to see more availability at the Genius Bar. Angela seems to be more in touch with what stores need to offer their employees and customers than you do.
[doublepost=1471853299][/doublepost]

If Apple want to make the customer experience better, bring back the till. So you don't have to spend time talking to 6 different people because none of them are allowed to do the basic function of a shop.

You walk in get pick up what you want and go and pay for it, not hang around waiting for someone to be free.

If you're paying cash there's no other way around it. But you can do essentially the exact thing you just said you wanted with the Apple Store app or In-Store Pickup. I suggest you get familiar with either one or both.

 

[brutus007]

Apple held all-hands meetings with retail employees this weekend to introduce major new changes, including new and renamed positions, a new credo, and new store layouts, according to multiple retail sources.

Apple is implementing three new retail positions in the United States and United Kingdom, and likely elsewhere, including two pro-level positions and an all-new Technical Expert position to complement the Genius Bar/Grove:

o Pro: A new sales position above Expert. These employees are considered the most knowledgable about Apple products and services.
o Creative Pro: A new learning position above Creative. These employees are considered the most knowledgable about Apple products and services.
o Technical Expert: An all-new customer support position in between Technical Specialist and Genius. These employees will be able to provide mobile repairs, a task previously limited to Geniuses, and troubleshooting for software and products like the Apple Watch and Apple TV. The position will help reduce Genius Bar/Grove and service wait times.
In addition to the new positions, Apple is renaming several of its current retail positions:

o Red Zone Specialist -> Specialist
o Family Room Specialist -> Technical Specialist
o Business Specialist -> Business Expert
o Back-of-House Specialist -> Operations Specialist
o Inventory Specialist -> Operations Pro

Meanwhile, the Back-of-House is now called Backstage, where the Inventory and Operations teams work, and the Red Zone, which encompasses the sales floor, is now called the Product Zone. Apple's existing retail locations will use the same tables from the old Red Zone for the new Product Zone.

Apple has also updated its credo, a motto that the company encourages its retail employees to follow. The new credo:Last, Apple said it now has over 30 retail locations based on its new design language, including the flagship Apple Union Square. The new layout includes a combination of The Avenue, Genius Grove, The Forum, The Plaza, and The Boardroom. Apple is renovating dozens of locations with the next-generation design, and all new locations since mid 2015 have been based on the new design language.

Juli Clover contributed to this report.

Article Link: Apple Introduces Major Retail Changes, Including New Pro-Level Positions and Credo

There are new salary structures to go with these new Pro positions. These members will be paid almonds instead of peanuts.

 

[lolkthxbai]

Steve would never hire someone like Angela and i feel sad to see the vision he had for Apple get screwed everyday by people with no passion, taste or class

Steve would hire someone like Angela and I feel happy to see the vision he had for Apple get fulfilled everyday by people with passion, problem solving skills, and can marry the online and retail experience together

See? It's real easy to say what a dead person would or wouldn't do to fit your opinion.

 

[flaw600]

Just makes me cringe reading this. Reminds me of the BS titles and gimmicky chants Best Buy used to make us all do when I worked a high school job there. LOL. Employees just roll their eyes at this stuff.

As far as "Backstage" and other silly names for parts of the store, it just smells like moldy cheese... like Apple is trying to reinvent the wheel, at least from a customer outside-in view. It looks stupid and makes it feel like Apple is belittling me as a customer.

The problem as I see it as a long time customer, is that the method of hiring has changed so much since the "old days" ... used to be when you walked into an Apple Store, you were greeted by people passionate about the product. I know a lot about the technical side of Apple products, and loved that someone working in a retail store was at the same level and could talk the talk. It seems like their pay back then got that sort of employee, but it seems like pay hasn't changed, so now for the same pay 15 years later they get basic retail employees.

Now it seems when you go in, the employees working are just regular retail drones, many of which don't have or want an iPhone, and don't have or want a Mac, they just need a job while in school, or a job to make some summer money. The hiring has shifted, maybe a result of such low unemployment, not sure. Yeah some of the old days guys are there, but not many.

It's just really sad to see where Apple Retail was and where it is today. It's not the experience Steve wanted when he launched the store. I understand times change, and retail does as well, but it feels like with Angela in charge things have gone from great, to status quo retail, to now just weird and unproductive.

Hopefully things get better, because I'm not sure how many more product launches I can sit through where I go in and am told to get the product they have sitting in their back room I have to go online and order it then come back.

I actually extremely disagree with this. At least ay my local stores, the experience has gotten way better. Service is much faster - especially the Genius Bar - and I don't see many college people working there. The hiring process hasn't changed. I love the new Apple Store service.

 

[jonnyb]

We tell our customers
To always close every app
In the multitasking drawer
Even though it's wrong
And Craig said not to

 

[lolkthxbai]

We tell our customers
To always close every app
In the multitasking drawer
Even though it's wrong
And Craig said not to

Lmaooo, it's not a sin but retail employees should keep their bad habits from turning into "Pro" advice.

 

[Applelad]

What a joke - words fail me at the little respect they clearly have for 'pro'. They seemingly don't care about people that use their products to make a living and then go and call a just a bunch of their smurfs 'pros' (when they are all 'pros' at what they do - not necessarily meaning 'expert' or 'good') - clearly redefining the english language. We need a new word that means someone that does something for a living - I propose 'voc' short for 'vocationalist'. I like that, I'm a voc potographer. Now all we need is to get them to make some Mac Vocs and MacBook Vocs - 'pros' are for kids!!

Apple are going to run out of room to spin soon and wish they had paid a little more attention to the original core market base.

 

[smacrumon]

Liquid indicators are added to... drum roll please... indicate the presence of liquid! You know, because electorinics and liquid don't do so well together! And let's be honest, if you owned Company X that made Product Z and you were replacing a product for a customer, at your own cost, because of intentional or accidental damage, you'd also add an indicator to your product so your "loyal" customers don't drive you broke and maybe teach them to take ownership of their devices. Apple shouldn't be babying a customer that hasn't accepted responsibility for their device. No one likes taking the blame for someone else's mistake. It's like getting sued for something that you had no control
over! Indicators don't lie but people do. Apple knows this and they're not stupid.
[doublepost=1471853151][/doublepost]
It is a side-effect! Now, instead of having ONLY Geniuses working on iPhone repairs they can pay someone a higher wage than before to do those repairs too, so now that Genius that was removed from the repair queue can be moved to take Mac appointments. Amazing how that works: the employee wins by getting paid more and the customer wins by the increased Mac availability! If I were an employee I can't see how I'd be upset. And as a customer, I'd love to see more availability at the Genius Bar. Angela seems to be more in touch with what stores need to offer their employees and customers than you do.
[doublepost=1471853299][/doublepost]
If you're paying cash there's no other way around it. But you can do essentially the exact thing you just said you wanted with the Apple Store app or In-Store Pickup. I suggest you get familiar with either one or both.

Ridiculous. Your argument is a very interesting way to skew the issues here.

If Apple wants to pay some one a higher wage, or do repairs, then promote the employee to Genius level so that they can do the repairs at the correct Genius wage, not introduce a new position lower than Genius along with a lower wage but with higher duties of the Genius level. In the end, Apple employees are getting a poorer deal.

If Apple needs more Genius employees doing repairs, then they should promote more staff at the Genius level, not introduce a lower wage and lower position to do higher work.

These new positions only help Apple shareholders. Employees might be better buying Apple shares and kicking back at the beach than bothering to turn up to work for lesser pay.

Apple employees should unionize and protest this new changed working arrangement. In some countries this new work arrangement won't fly.

 

[Easttime]

If Apple want to make the customer experience better, bring back the till. So you don't have to spend time talking to 6 different people because none of them are allowed to do the basic function of a shop. You walk in get pick up what you want and go and pay for it, not hang around waiting for someone to be free.

You can do that now for shelf items, using iPhone and the Store app.

 

[Naaaaak]

Fixed the credo for them.



 Enriching shareholders.

We are here to sell iPhones.
A lot of iPhones,
Maybe some iPads, too,
We only care about those these days.

AT OUR BEST

We update Macs biennially.
Ideally never,
if people will just accept the iPad as a full PC.
We can’t wait to drop the Mac Pro,
The MacBook Pro,
The Mac Mini,
And the MacBook.

We rush our products to market.
Our customers are our testers.
Just look at the bugs in iOS and macOS.
Deal with it.

We’re really rich.
We blow $ Billions on buybacks.
And Beats.
And whatever else seems cool at the moment.
Because what we buy says who we are.

We continue to waste time.
On watch straps,
on feel-good credos,
on Planet of the Apps,
on open-floor office layouts,
and that’s just what you hear about.

AT OUR CORE

Steve has been gone but a few years
and we are lost without him.
We can coast a few more years without a hit, though.
Maybe a Watch is the future?
Or maybe a car?
Maybe we should become even more needlessly political?
Whatever it is, we’ll keep selling 2 year-old Macs.

 

[Arran]

Well, you'd be a pretty big jerk if you thought that. And there's a reason corporations do this: because they work. When you are motivating employees, it is incredibly helpful if you can point to something and say "here, this is why we're doing this."

Yes, but people are jerks all the time. Why make it easy?

And as to answering the question of why any particular individual is working in retail: Isn't that down to the individual to figure out themselves - rather than be told? People are fairly intelligent.

What makes you think this "credo" will work?
[doublepost=1471859427][/doublepost]

I miss the first few years of Apple retail when I worked there. We wore the black shirts with theh white logo and didn't have all this ******** to deal with. We just helped customers and sold them on the Apple experience instead of having to worry about crap like "Product Zone" and "Backstage" in addition to all these stupid employee titles.

I really liked visiting stores back in those days. You guys were experts.

I remember buying my first mac and the salesperson/genius steered me away from the expensive aluminum macbook pro (that I thought I needed) to the significantly cheaper white macbook while explaining in detail why the white macbook was better for me. Not many retailers will do that!

Enormous trust builder.

Compare that to what I experienced in a very recent visit when I took my iPhone in for a repair under Applecare+ They swapped out the wrong part and then handed the phone back to me still showing the very obvious original defect. I had to point it out to the "genius", endure an awkward moment of embarrassment for the guy as he tried to "explain" it and then wait a further half-hour while they processed a whole unit swap (ostensibly to "save me more time")

It's not the same now and I don't think this vacuous credo blather is going to help.

 

[G4DPII]

You can do that now for shelf items, using iPhone and the Store app.

So for the privilage of being able to just pay for stuff. I have to spend £360(minimum) on a phone and then download a crappy app?

Do you not realise how stupid that is? The whole process is arse over tit.

 

[Arran]

So for the privilage of being able to just pay for stuff. I have to spend £360(minimum) on a phone and then download a crappy app?

Do you not realise how stupid that is? The whole process is arse over tit.

In all fairness it's an option - so I suppose that's good, but I like things to be kept simple and personally don't like it either.

In the old stores with a fixed checkout, it was obvious how to purchase something. It was also arguably quicker, because if a line was building-up, the store staff were immediately aware and could take action. Now I'm often left aimlessly wandering around the store, being passed from employee to employee until I find one who can help.

I often wander unseen and unacknowledged. There are probably other customers doing the same thing simultaneously? It's not a good customer feeling.

 

[mdlooker]

Did I just read that the "Pro" and "Creative Pro" positions have the same knowledge. What does the Creative Pro do besides learn?

o Pro: A new sales position above Expert. These employees are considered the most knowledgable about Apple products and services.
o Creative Pro: A new learning position above Creative. These employees are considered the most knowledgable about Apple products and services.
o Technical Expert: An all-new customer support position in between Technical Specialist and Genius. These employees will be able to provide mobile repairs, a task previously limited to Geniuses, and troubleshooting for software and products like the Apple Watch and Apple TV. The position will help reduce Genius Bar/Grove and service wait times.
In addition to the new positions, Apple is renaming several of its current retail positions:

 

[attila]

If only us pro consumers could get pro Apple products (apart from the Mac Pro which actually is a pro machine, albeit simplified)