Apple wants to mobilize Genius Bar via new app
In the latest example of how marketers are trying to find the best way to support customer service via mobile, Apple is reportedly working on an application that would bring its renowned Genius Bar experience to users.
The app, which several reports suggests is in the works for next year, would seek to cut down lines at Apple stores and save customers time. The app is expected to use live chat so users can communicate with an advisor and schedule a Genius Bar appointment, facilitate device repair and provide support documents as well as tutorials for iOS, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch users.
?With more and more people using an iPad as their primary connected device at home rather than a desktop PC, and with mobile becoming the primary means of Internet and communications, then support services should be provided in those same communications channels,? said Scott Michaels, vice president of client engagement at ArcTouch
?As a marketer, the question is really ?How mobile centric is my user base,?? he said. ?If you are not providing easy ways for your users to get issues resolved, then the sentiment around the brand gets tarnished.
?This seems obvious, but so many support services for brands are handled by IT departments that marketing often is not able to influence a change in the way support is offered ? until there is hard evidence that the current method is simply not working.?
Mobile customer service
The Apple app will reportedly ask users questions so it can narrow in on the problem quickly, display a list of devices connected to an Apple ID and present common troubleshooting information for each.
Mobile would seem to be well-suited to innovate customer service much like it has other service-oriented engagements between consumers and brands.
Mobile?s potential here comes from the fact that consumers typically have their phone nearby and are increasingly relying on them for assistance with everyday activities. Reaching for a smartphone to help with questions or issues related to a recent purchase would seem to make a lot of sense.
This is why more marketers are integrating live chat into their mobile experiences.
For example, after apparel retailer American Eagle Outfitters recently introduced live chat, it discovered that users were having long in-depth discussions with the brand on mobile, with one-third of consumers accessing the service on untethered devices (see story).
Additionally, brands such as Hyatt are teaming up with Conversocial to use Facebook Messenger as a communication channel for offering customer service and building personal relationships with mobile users (see story).
Finding the right strategy
The focus on mobile as a customer channel follows efforts to leverage social media in similar ways that have not been as successful as hoped.
For example, major travel brands such as American Airlines and Alaska Airlines have embraced social media's real-time customer service capabilities, but not all of these efforts are translating to increased engagement or bookings due to lackluster content, according to a report from Engagement Labs (see story).
?Apple already has live chat on the site already, so extending this to mobile is a natural extension,? Mr. Michaels said. ?With that infrastructure already in place, it isn?t a huge capital investment to extend that out to where the end users are today (on mobile).
?As the Apple ecosystem grows, Apple needs more ways to service customers that don?t need a Genius Bar appointment, or are in a geographic area where there is no Apple Store,? he said.
?For marketers, the question then becomes how to best serve the customers who need assistance.?
Final Take
Chantal Tode is senior editor on Mobile Marketer, New York