Apple Tops 'Tech Support Showdown' List for Third Consecutive Year

[MacRumors]

Apple has topped Laptop Mag's Tech Support Showdown list for the third year in a row, receiving praise as "the best tech support in the business," and beating out nine other computer-making companies in the process. Laptop Mag said that its list is aimed at helping customers see who has the most reliable and clear customer service in the tech industry.

To conduct the research, the magazine sent reporters undercover to make calls, query support chat online, and ask questions on social media, and accumulated data on the following top ten notebook makers: Apple, Microsoft, Acer, Razer, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus, Samsung, and MSI. Each company was given a grade on a 100-point scale, and Laptop Mag weighted 60 points towards online support and 40 points toward phone support.

For Apple's winning spot, the company received a 56 for its web support score and a 37 for its phone support score, resulting in an overall mark of 93 for the Cupertino company's tech support in 2017.

Laptop Mag went more in-depth about its experience with Apple support in various forms, discussing a six minute response time from the @AppleSupport Twitter account and a positive, snappy experience with the new Apple Support iOS app. The site also put Apple to the test by calling three separate customer service reps to test their knowledge of the newest changes to macOS and the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro.

Call 1: Hayley then instructed me to disable iCloud Drive, and explained how to keep a local copy of the files. During the 2 minutes it took to download the files, I chatted with Hayley about the weather down in Florida, as he was positive and easy to talk to.

At the end of our chat, I asked if there was some way to turn iCloud Desktop and Documents off without disabling iCloud Drive. Hayley said there was not, which is, unfortunately, not the case. The call took 8 minutes in total.

Call 2: My next call connected me to Frank in Oregon, who explained that the physical fn key makes the Touch Bar show the Function keys. Frank also showed me how to set specific apps to use the Function keys in the Touch Bar, and he needed to place me on hold to ask colleagues if I could do the same for Finder.

After telling me that there was no such option, Frank directed me to a feedback page where I could ask Apple to add this option in a future version. In total, the call took 15 minutes, but Frank solved my main question in only 3 minutes.

Call 3: My last call connected me with the upbeat and chipper Letasha, who showed me the icon in the dock and menu bar that you click to activate Siri. Before we concluded, Letasha explained how to change the keyboard command used to start Siri. The call lasted 7 minutes.

On average, it took Apple's reps 6 minutes per call to get answers -- a minute less than its time last year.

Ultimately, Laptop Mag noted that while the customer service reps might have a few spots of incorrect knowledge about Apple's software and hardware, they still "provided solutions in a speedy and positive manner." While Apple's web score was unrivaled at 56, the company's phone score of 37 was beat out by Acer at 38 points. In total, Acer came in second with a total score of 88 points, making it the "top-rated Windows PC vendor for support" and gaining ground on Apple's number one spot.

If Apple wants to improve its support, it should ensure support techs learn about all of the new features so that they can give completely accurate answers to questions on topics such as iCloud Documents. Its Twitter account could also improve by providing answers directly, instead of linking to posts where the content is found. Overall, though, Apple offers the best support of any laptop manufacturer, as it has for many years.

Last November, Apple won the "Gold" #Customer award for its helpful responses from @AppleSupport on Twitter. According to Twitter, Apple ranked #1 among support accounts for average engagements and average engagements for followers, racking up 150,000 likes and retweets since its launch in March 2016.

On Twitter, users can ask Apple questions between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time, and the company's support team normally responds within a few minutes. Although Laptop Mag said that it didn't award Apple "any points for finally creating a Twitter support account," the site noted that it's one of the best parts of Apple's expansive customer support system and it applauded "the team running that account for the timely, helpful replies."

Check out Laptop Mag's full report on Apple's customer service performance right here.

Article Link: Apple Tops 'Tech Support Showdown' List for Third Consecutive Year

 

[chr1s60]

But I thought Apple was doing everything wrong under Cook...

 

[keysofanxiety]

Acer 2nd? Lenovo 3rd? HP 5th? Razer in the top 10?!

It's no wonder Apple are top of the list. Not much competition. Those are some of the worst companies I've ever dealt with.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I'm in the UK so I've heard that Razer/Microsoft support in the US is much better than over here. But with the exception of DELL/Apple, everybody else listed here are atrocious in my experience.

 

[WannaGoMac]

Apple's product support is why I referred many people to Apple over the years. You go in and they mostly take care of your issue with little fuss.

 

[iCloudStrife]

I wonder if Apple's unique operating system is an advantage or a disadvantage when it comes to customer support.

One one hand Apple controls everything so their documentation and training should be superb. On the other hand their low user base means a smaller pool of great/knowledgeable customer support technicians to choose from when hiring.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

a smaller pool of great/knowledgeable customer support technicians to choose from when hiring.

Apple (and probably most companies that size) don't hire support people based on their knowledge, they hire for customer support skills & experience and train for the knowledge.

 

[TMRJIJ]

How is DELL not last on this list? Their support is terrible. That's embarrassing for Samsung.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

It's because they know how to change the RAM on your MacBook, and that's a skill that will soon be obsolete.

Seriously, I've brought in an iPhone on the last day of AppleCare, with the battery on its last gasp and got a refurbished one with a smile. Having been at the end of a warranty, other companies have tried to weasel their way out of it, and when I was younger, I got wise to their ways, and now I just talk all legal to them "This warranty ends tonight, not when I walk in with a problem," or "I'd like a refund on my purchased warranty."

They now end their arguments, but that may be just because I'm an old guy now.

 

[keysofanxiety]

I wonder if Apple's unique operating system is an advantage or a disadvantage when it comes to customer support.

One one hand Apple controls everything so their documentation and training should be superb. On the other hand their low user base means a smaller pool of great/knowledgeable customer support technicians to choose from when hiring.

Let's twist it to give an answer! Imagine if macOS had Windows' marketshare and Windows had macOS's marketshare.

The amount of ridiculous, stupid, frustrating, impossibly awkward bugs and problems that you encounter with Windows are practically limitless. Add in a much lower marketshare, then the pool of knowledgable technicians or answers that actually work would be even smaller than they already are. So Windows as an OS will then be perceived to be infinitely 'worse' than it already is.

Plus Apple are quite happy to cut legacy support whereas Microsoft need to keep it in some form with every OS, further bloating these problems and awkward bugs.

So although they're two different approaches, (equally valid depending on what you need, don't take this as "Windows sucks at everything"), I'd say the closed ecosystem and hardware control is an advantage when it comes to customer support.

 

[barkomatic]

This doesn't surprise me, this continues to be one of Apple's strong areas and I hope they keep up their standards. The fact that Apple controls the hardware and software makes a support call more straight-forward.

 

[jayducharme]

How ironic that this article appears right after the story about the upcoming changes at the Genius Bar.

 

[merkinmuffley]

I would agree with the findings in this article. I've had a couple of calls into them since getting my new MBP and they were so good I sent Tim Cook an email praising them.

 

[vmistery]

I am amazed Dell rate as highly as they do (I am in the UK, US might be different). At work I have to deal with them for Desktop / server warranty stuff and they are absolutely terrible, HP is a little better and Lenovo are a fair bit better but it is hit and miss depending on who you speak too.

 

[Ryndom]

Apple has topped Laptop Mag's Tech Support Showdown list for the third year in a row, receiving praise as "the best tech support in the business," and beating out nine other computer-making companies in the process. Laptop Mag said that its list is aimed at helping customers see who has the most reliable and clear customer service in the tech industry.

To conduct the research, the magazine sent reporters undercover to make calls, query support chat online, and ask questions on social media, and accumulated data on the following top ten notebook makers: Apple, Microsoft, Acer, Razer, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus, Samsung, and MSI. Each company was given a grade on a 100-point scale, and Laptop Mag weighted 60 points towards online support and 40 points toward phone support.

For Apple's winning spot, the company received a 56 for its web support score and a 37 for its phone support score, resulting in an overall mark of 93 for the Cupertino company's tech support in 2017.

Laptop Mag went more in-depth about its experience with Apple support in various forms, discussing a six minute response time from the @AppleSupport Twitter account and a positive, snappy experience with the new Apple Support iOS app. The site also put Apple to the test by calling three separate customer service reps to test their knowledge of the newest changes to macOS and the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro.
Ultimately, Laptop Mag noted that while the customer service reps might have a few spots of incorrect knowledge about Apple's software and hardware, they still "provided solutions in a speedy and positive manner." While Apple's web score was unrivaled at 56, the company's phone score of 37 was beat out by Acer at 38 points. In total, Acer came in second with a total score of 88 points, making it the "top-rated Windows PC vendor for support" and gaining ground on Apple's number one spot.
Last November, Apple won the "Gold" #Customer award for its helpful responses from @AppleSupport on Twitter. According to Twitter, Apple ranked #1 among support accounts for average engagements and average engagements for followers, racking up 150,000 likes and retweets since its launch in March 2016.

On Twitter, users can ask Apple questions between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time, and the company's support team normally responds within a few minutes. Although Laptop Mag said that it didn't award Apple "any points for finally creating a Twitter support account," the site noted that it's one of the best parts of Apple's expansive customer support system and it applauded "the team running that account for the timely, helpful replies."

Check out Laptop Mag's full report on Apple's customer service performance right here.

Article Link: Apple Tops 'Tech Support Showdown' List for Third Consecutive Year

Apple has topped Laptop Mag's Tech Support Showdown list for the third year in a row, receiving praise as "the best tech support in the business," and beating out nine other computer-making companies in the process. Laptop Mag said that its list is aimed at helping customers see who has the most reliable and clear customer service in the tech industry.

To conduct the research, the magazine sent reporters undercover to make calls, query support chat online, and ask questions on social media, and accumulated data on the following top ten notebook makers: Apple, Microsoft, Acer, Razer, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus, Samsung, and MSI. Each company was given a grade on a 100-point scale, and Laptop Mag weighted 60 points towards online support and 40 points toward phone support.

For Apple's winning spot, the company received a 56 for its web support score and a 37 for its phone support score, resulting in an overall mark of 93 for the Cupertino company's tech support in 2017.

Laptop Mag went more in-depth about its experience with Apple support in various forms, discussing a six minute response time from the @AppleSupport Twitter account and a positive, snappy experience with the new Apple Support iOS app. The site also put Apple to the test by calling three separate customer service reps to test their knowledge of the newest changes to macOS and the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro.
Ultimately, Laptop Mag noted that while the customer service reps might have a few spots of incorrect knowledge about Apple's software and hardware, they still "provided solutions in a speedy and positive manner." While Apple's web score was unrivaled at 56, the company's phone score of 37 was beat out by Acer at 38 points. In total, Acer came in second with a total score of 88 points, making it the "top-rated Windows PC vendor for support" and gaining ground on Apple's number one spot.
Last November, Apple won the "Gold" #Customer award for its helpful responses from @AppleSupport on Twitter. According to Twitter, Apple ranked #1 among support accounts for average engagements and average engagements for followers, racking up 150,000 likes and retweets since its launch in March 2016.

On Twitter, users can ask Apple questions between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time, and the company's support team normally responds within a few minutes. Although Laptop Mag said that it didn't award Apple "any points for finally creating a Twitter support account," the site noted that it's one of the best parts of Apple's expansive customer support system and it applauded "the team running that account for the timely, helpful replies."

Check out Laptop Mag's full report on Apple's customer service performance right here.

Article Link: Apple Tops 'Tech Support Showdown' List for Third Consecutive Year

[doublepost=1489157833][/doublepost]I'd love to know why Google isn't on the list. They have tons of inter-connected web applications and a growing number of devices. Why would they not be considered? I've tried to get assistance with various things, and it's almost a joke.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Apple's product support is why I referred many people to Apple over the years. You go in and they mostly take care of your issue with little fuss.

To be fair recommending something because of support is like saying "don’t worry when things will go bad they will support you"; perhaps things shouldn't go bad in the first place?

 

[ChrisCW11]

If your company needs tech support, you are already doing something wrong.

 

[monty77]

[doublepost=1489157833][/doublepost]I'd love to know why Google isn't on the list. They have tons of inter-connected web applications and a growing number of devices. Why would they not be considered? I've tried to get assistance with various things, and it's almost a joke.

Similar experience with Google, but you do get what you pay for. I originally signed up to dot Mac after my gmail got hacked, there was no way of contacting anyone to shut the account down and it made me appreciate support for something that is so critical.

 

[macsrcool1234]

How is MS on this list? I didn't even know you could get a hold of a live person there.
[doublepost=1489159359][/doublepost]

If your company needs tech support, you are already doing something wrong.

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

 

[TMRJIJ]

If your company needs tech support, you are already doing something wrong.

Well, I guess all companies are wrong then.
/s
[doublepost=1489159638][/doublepost]

To be fair recommending something because of support is like saying "don’t worry when things will go bad they will support you"; perhaps things shouldn't go bad in the first place?

Everything tech related will 'go bad' no matter what.

 

[blacktape242]

wow samsung isn't 24/7 lol I'm actually surprised at that.

 

[Juicy Box]

Ultimately, Laptop Mag noted that while the customer service reps might have a few spots of incorrect knowledge about Apple's software and hardware, they still "provided solutions in a speedy and positive manner."

This is true in my experience.

I called Apple Support after all my iTunes Match music disappeared. While getting to the customer service rep was quick, her knowledge about iTunes Match was very lacking.

I ended up asking to speak to someone else, because she started to argue about how iTunes Match worked and was a little rude. The second person I talked claimed to used iTunes Match, which was probably true, because he knew what the service was and how it worked.

Sadly, my problem never got resolved though. At first they thought it may have been a payment problem because the incident happened on my Match anniversary date. But the payment went through okay. The issue was sent to Apple engineers.

Their explanation was complete bull. They claimed that I have never used iTunes Match before, and that is why my music was missing/was not there.

I am just glad that I had almost all the songs backed up.

 

[imronburgundy]

EVGA needs to be on this list, but I know hardware components aren't "sexy" enough.
[doublepost=1489160865][/doublepost]

How is MS on this list? I didn't even know you could get a hold of a live person there.

From Laptopmag:

One characteristic that separates Microsoft from some of its competitors is its willingness to tackle both hardware and OS problems. Many original equipment manufacturers refuse to answer Windows 10 questions, but because Microsoft makes the operating system, its company reps are happy to talk about it.

 

[npmacuser5]

Support tied to specific hardware, especially after the standard warranty, can be challenging. Apple does a good job on this if one has a Genius Bar accessible to them. Otherwise one falls into the payment per call system. Example, four devices, one in Warranty the rest not. The problem almost never with the one still in Warranty. One can bend the rules and say the issue with the system under Warranty, but why? I would like to see more options for out of Warranty support.

 

[nvmls]

Stopped reading at Dell.

 

[Rvsymmot]

If your company needs tech support, you are already doing something wrong.

Lololol

This is true in my experience.

I called Apple Support after all my iTunes Match music disappeared. While getting to the customer service rep was quick, her knowledge about iTunes Match was very lacking.

I ended up asking to speak to someone else, because she started to argue about how iTunes Match worked and was a little rude. The second person I talked claimed to used iTunes Match, which was probably true, because he knew what the service was and how it worked.

Sadly, my problem never got resolved though. At first they thought it may have been a payment problem because the incident happened on my Match anniversary date. But the payment went through okay. The issue was sent to Apple engineers.

Their explanation was complete bull. They claimed that I have never used iTunes Match before, and that is why my music was missing/was not there.

I am just glad that I had almost all the songs backed up.

I too lost all of my music, though it was with Apple Music. I changed my billing country and my whole library was wiped. Support offered nothing other than inconsistencies and a few people even blaming me. Ultimately, I received an offer of 50 free songs to replace 10,000~. No backup because the files are deleted when using iCloud Music Library.