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Apple Prepping Genius Bar Changes: Focus on Shorter Wait Times, Multitasking, Overnight Repairs
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Multitasking sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Otherwise, in theory, some of these sound like a good move. Although, I suppose it's dependent on the multitasking bit, walk-ins in under 30 are still a nice gesture. I've never had an issue with making an appointment and the longest I've ever had to wait beyond my reservation was about 15mins. However, there have been a few times where an unplanned visit (i.e; in the area, it happens...) has resulted in a rather long wait.
Still not sure where the "I don't make sense" and "imbecile" parts come in, but OK.
Thanks and ditto that.
Genius Bar !
What they really need is an ENTERPRISE attendant.
I find it frustrating that I have to wait 2 hours for a "Genius" that is helping somebody sync an I-pod when I need a Mac pro tower that I spent 3K on and depend on for income when 95% of the time I've already diagnosed the issue.
Apple really takes Enterprise clients for granted.
What they really need is an ENTERPRISE attendant.
I find it frustrating that I have to wait 2 hours for a "Genius" that is helping somebody sync an I-pod when I need a Mac pro tower that I spent 3K on and depend on for income when 95% of the time I've already diagnosed the issue.
Apple really takes Enterprise clients for granted.
Yeah, but how about the rest of the world joining Apple in having their own computer store for customers to take their computer to so they can bitch all day? Sony, Dell, Lenovo...etc...no stores. They are the ones behind.
Not a fan of 'multi-tasking'. My Apple Store has been doing this for a few months now. Their genius bar is only about 20ft long, having 5 geniuses and ~10-15 customers in this small area makes things very crampt. I was told to stand elsewhere while my girlfriend was being helped, even though I had all the answers for the genius' questions since I did a pre-diagnose/repair attempt on her macbook prior to taking it in.
Did you make a reservation online? Were those that you were queued up behind have reservations? If they can use business intelligence to improve efficiency to help the customer who needs a quick turnaround while having the guy's who's Macbook Case Split while under Applecare repalced the next day, that is great.
I am sure there is a labor savings to the bottom line if they can improve efficiency of labor. As long as customers feel like they are being cared for and their support needs are met.
Why are you even lugging your tower in? Call AppleCare and have them do an on-site repair. It's part of your AppleCare contract, iMacs included.
I've yet to have an issue with my MacPro, but if I ever do, hell no I don't plan on lugging that monster on the subway to the Apple store, they're coming to me.
Were you able to enter the details of what you did to troubleshoot it onto your reservation so the Genius had them, or did you just walk in?
.
WTF? Is this part of their training? For all problems, act like the customer is crazy and you never heard of this before. Sad.
Apple won't allow their employees to acknowledge widespread issues because word starts to get out. So they probably are instructed to act surprised at whatever problem you have so as to make the customer feel that this is an anomaly and not normal for Apple products. You saw how many people fell hook, line, and sinker for Apple's own PR statement about how they were "stunned" to discover that they were rigging the signal bars on their phones.
Larger Stores
I think what's really needed are larger stores. Any time I go to a store, it's really crowded and not always easy to get assistance.
I think what's really needed are larger stores. Any time I go to a store, it's really crowded and not always easy to get assistance.
+1 - Although, the last time I took a laptop in, they overnighted it to my home a day or two later. That was nice, but that was for a "recall" ( known video problem ) issue. Not sure if that will happen for everything. I think the way the ran it up to this point was best...maybe change it to have one "genius" for walk-ins, the rest for appointments.
Multitasking doesn't work. Stress the need for appointments, and you can better serve your customers and reduce 'Genius' stress. Quit squeezing the nickel, and do it right.
ummm
Ok so as someone who worked for Apple Retail from 2005 to 2009... i can say, with experience to back my assertions, that this is not going to be well when implemented.
While my entire run at apple was great and i left on a good note and enjoyed working there a lot... my only frustrations were that they always seemed to be gung ho about retail initiatives that on paper sound great and in practice SUCKED.
I was there when they announced EasyPay... which was ultra limited at first... and a few months after they initiated it, they phased out all the old registers except for one! It was horrendous (on the then bulky crash prone symbian running WinMo developed-for craptastic handheld devices) and most customers were not happy 1) being confused about where to go to check out 2) hunting for an available specialist to help them check out 3) waiting unnecessarily long for the slow ass device to connect and perform its functions. They started this new thing called "Rhonda" (help me rhonda, help help me rhonda) which was horrible because NO ONE KNEW WHERE TO GO TO SIGN IN FOR HELP or that the kinda hidden icons on the desktops of all the floor computers that said "Rhonda" meant, click here to get help.
I was there through the initiation of Concierges, and step in the right direction... then the multi colored shirts... a step in the wrong direction... and new idea after new idea that Ron Johnson - smart as he may be - drummed up as the next biggest thing in apple retail. MOST of the changes where of mixed to little value or took a long long time to perfect, causing a lot of frustrations in the process.
The genius bar queue is painful as it is and its getting worse. its hard to say what the fix is for this issue. I wont pretend like i have some magical answer to it thats so obvious or anything... its just a growing pain of apple becoming bigger and in more hands and homes.
THIS... idea seems bad however. THE geniuses i worked with were basically busy to the max handling one person at a time.. so I cant see how trying to make them juggle more pissed off people with varying issues is going to make things better. Most of the stores are physically too small to accommodate too many more people. Just about every weekend the store i worked in (which was inside a mall) had the fire marshall threatening us. Apple is on this whole minimalist kick - which means in non bigass stores, they don't rent or build spaces that have support beams in the middle of them... thus making most of their stores smaller than it really needs to be.
No matter what they try to do.. the only solution i can think of is get bigger stores where possible and hire more genii. Maybe also hire some overnight workers to stay in the store through the night and work the 3rd shift so repairs are ready for some the next day. No amount of clever optimizing with the current setup is going to help in any significant way. There is more of a chance of it backfiring or at least failing, rather than doin any significant good. IMO
Ok so as someone who worked for Apple Retail from 2005 to 2009... i can say, with experience to back my assertions, that this is not going to be well when implemented.
While my entire run at apple was great and i left on a good note and enjoyed working there a lot... my only frustrations were that they always seemed to be gung ho about retail initiatives that on paper sound great and in practice SUCKED.
I was there when they announced EasyPay... which was ultra limited at first... and a few months after they initiated it, they phased out all the old registers except for one! It was horrendous (on the then bulky crash prone symbian running WinMo developed-for craptastic handheld devices) and most customers were not happy 1) being confused about where to go to check out 2) hunting for an available specialist to help them check out 3) waiting unnecessarily long for the slow ass device to connect and perform its functions. They started this new thing called "Rhonda" (help me rhonda, help help me rhonda) which was horrible because NO ONE KNEW WHERE TO GO TO SIGN IN FOR HELP or that the kinda hidden icons on the desktops of all the floor computers that said "Rhonda" meant, click here to get help.
I was there through the initiation of Concierges, and step in the right direction... then the multi colored shirts... a step in the wrong direction... and new idea after new idea that Ron Johnson - smart as he may be - drummed up as the next biggest thing in apple retail. MOST of the changes where of mixed to little value or took a long long time to perfect, causing a lot of frustrations in the process.
The genius bar queue is painful as it is and its getting worse. its hard to say what the fix is for this issue. I wont pretend like i have some magical answer to it thats so obvious or anything... its just a growing pain of apple becoming bigger and in more hands and homes.
THIS... idea seems bad however. THE geniuses i worked with were basically busy to the max handling one person at a time.. so I cant see how trying to make them juggle more pissed off people with varying issues is going to make things better. Most of the stores are physically too small to accommodate too many more people. Just about every weekend the store i worked in (which was inside a mall) had the fire marshall threatening us. Apple is on this whole minimalist kick - which means in non bigass stores, they don't rent or build spaces that have support beams in the middle of them... thus making most of their stores smaller than it really needs to be.
No matter what they try to do.. the only solution i can think of is get bigger stores where possible and hire more genii. Maybe also hire some overnight workers to stay in the store through the night and work the 3rd shift so repairs are ready for some the next day. No amount of clever optimizing with the current setup is going to help in any significant way. There is more of a chance of it backfiring or at least failing, rather than doin any significant good. IMO
I thought for sure this was a plug for the new iPhone 4 OS - Multitasking, queueing, etc... then I realized it was actually just an "improvement" to the Apple Stores.
I love the stores but hate the employees, especially the self-proclaimed Genii. Their employees are generally douches that seeks out rich soccer-moms and know-nothing gentlemen over anyone else - I guess that is what commission gets you. Every time I enter the store I am ignored by the employees (I don't wear fancy clothes) and have to actively ask them to ring me up --- if you ask them for help they will make up stuff as if they worked at BestBuy. The genius bar is full of nerds who think they know everything and we are all idiots...
I feel ignored It makes me sad I love Apple but they don't love me
I love the stores but hate the employees, especially the self-proclaimed Genii. Their employees are generally douches that seeks out rich soccer-moms and know-nothing gentlemen over anyone else - I guess that is what commission gets you. Every time I enter the store I am ignored by the employees (I don't wear fancy clothes) and have to actively ask them to ring me up --- if you ask them for help they will make up stuff as if they worked at BestBuy. The genius bar is full of nerds who think they know everything and we are all idiots...
I feel ignored
It makes me sad I love Apple but they don't love me good and bad
The good parts seem to be better scheduling, and accommodating walk-ins. The "Multitasking" idea is stupid, generally. That translates into poor customer service. People are not designed to 'multitask'. We've very poor at it. What happens is we get distracted, confused and productivity goes down.
Doing something else when, say, a hardware test is running that will take an hour, is fine. Switching tasks (jumping from one customer to another) every 5 minutes or so is just a plain bad idea.
Their real solution should include the better scheduling, but also hiring more geniuses, and making them smarter (training). I frequently know much more about an issue than Apple's people do.
The good parts seem to be better scheduling, and accommodating walk-ins. The "Multitasking" idea is stupid, generally. That translates into poor customer service. People are not designed to 'multitask'. We've very poor at it. What happens is we get distracted, confused and productivity goes down.
Doing something else when, say, a hardware test is running that will take an hour, is fine. Switching tasks (jumping from one customer to another) every 5 minutes or so is just a plain bad idea.
Their real solution should include the better scheduling, but also hiring more geniuses, and making them smarter (training). I frequently know much more about an issue than Apple's people do.
+1. Why are there lines to the Genius bar? Did they get rid of online appointment scheduling?
i recently had the pleasure of going into a apple store and getting serviced quickly via this method. it worked well and it seems like apple is making an effort.
but...
1- it seems like Apple has high employee turnover recently, they are favoring hiring lower cost new younger employees. ones that may not have tons of technical experience. some of their people are great, but it really does look like their experienced tech's and staff leave. well at least a friend of mine who works at Apple has told me.
2- good luck being 5 minutes late for an appt. many times the appts are in high volume locations and the Apple cue system is one where if you are not on time and even early, within 5 minutes, they wipe the appointment off the schedule. doesn't matter if it is in a mall without parking and your left to search high and low. they make it a lil confusing and hard to check in for appts. i was 5 minutes late, had to stand around 10 minutes till someone paid attn to me at genius bar. then they made me wait and then i got it fixed. but my general sense it that the Genius bar is a bit disorganized.
I wish Apple retail is more substantive, it is kind of like image over substance. Apple seems to have driven off most of the smart employees they had in their first few years of retail, and the types of staff they have now is very hit and miss. I believe it is due to their cutting per capita staffing costs. that said, some of their people are helpful and nice. but is is sliding downward in actual quality and it shows.
but...
1- it seems like Apple has high employee turnover recently, they are favoring hiring lower cost new younger employees. ones that may not have tons of technical experience. some of their people are great, but it really does look like their experienced tech's and staff leave. well at least a friend of mine who works at Apple has told me.
2- good luck being 5 minutes late for an appt. many times the appts are in high volume locations and the Apple cue system is one where if you are not on time and even early, within 5 minutes, they wipe the appointment off the schedule. doesn't matter if it is in a mall without parking and your left to search high and low. they make it a lil confusing and hard to check in for appts. i was 5 minutes late, had to stand around 10 minutes till someone paid attn to me at genius bar. then they made me wait and then i got it fixed. but my general sense it that the Genius bar is a bit disorganized.
I wish Apple retail is more substantive, it is kind of like image over substance. Apple seems to have driven off most of the smart employees they had in their first few years of retail, and the types of staff they have now is very hit and miss. I believe it is due to their cutting per capita staffing costs. that said, some of their people are helpful and nice. but is is sliding downward in actual quality and it shows.
Good. Glad to see that they are starting to reform their system. The fact that I went into an Apple store yesterday only to be told to make an appointment for the next day just to exchange a pair of faulty headphones is sad.
I think they should convert some of their floor people to Genii... increased store size would help as well but that is an expensive approach.