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Will a new Apple app reshape customer service?

Written by RetailWire Staff

In some ways Apple's Genius Bar has been a standout in customer service. The company employs people who are highly competent, customer focused and uniquely brand loyal to discuss, troubleshoot and fix phone and computer problems at the Apple Store. Recently, however, the Genius Bar has fallen victim to criticism because of the inefficiency of the reservation process to see a "Genius," which sometimes results in very long lines. Apple now may be rolling out an app that will both mitigate the problem and increase the ease of customer service in general for iPhone users.

The Verge reported that recently-leaked images of the as-yet-unannounced (and unconfirmed) iOS customer service app show features similar to Apple's existing web support offerings, including a feature that asks users questions to help them narrow down and troubleshoot problems, the ability to chat with support specialists and the ability to book an appointment at the Genius Bar. The article indicates that, while the features already exist on Apple's support website, making them easier to access via mobile could lead to more efficient troubleshooting before the customer reaches the point of needing to schedule a Genius Bar appointment, cutting down on lines.

Apple Genius Bar Soho
Photo: RetailWire

This is only the latest attempt Apple has made to streamline the Genius Bar. International Business Times reported in March that the company was rolling out a "Concierge" scheduling process to cut down on bottlenecks caused by walk-in appointments.

Despite the increasing use of mobile devices for both general web use and e-commerce needs, customers have been reticent to use retailer apps, opting instead to use mobile browsers. A Forrester Consulting study commissioned by RetailMeNot in August 2015 indicated that of those users polled who had used a mobile phone in the previous three months to do something retail-related, 60 percent had two or fewer retail apps installed and 21 percent had no retail app installed.

Apple is not the only company working on integrating customer service into an app. VentureBeat reports that Best Buy has rolled out a feature in its app that allows customers to contact staff via call, text or email while in-store.

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