Apple’s self-referential warranty program may soon be in for a pretty major overhaul, at least judging by a new report from Mark Gurman over at 9to5Mac. According to the report, Apple is preparing to launch a 24 hour per day, 7 day per week online support chat service which holders of their AppleCare warranty can take advantage of any time of the day or night.
Mark Gurman, reporting for 9to5Mac:
In the coming weeks, Apple will be making significant enhancements and changes to its AppleCare support service, according to sources. Planned to go live as soon as Monday, August 12th is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week AppleCare support via online chat. Sources did warn that August 12th is a “target date” that could be pushed back. […] Apple tested such a service over eight years ago, but next week’s scheduled rollout appears to be a major event for AppleCare that will go beyond just a pilot phase.
The 24/7 chat support will likely be applicable for both Mac and iOS Device users. […] If the 24/7 web chat support offering is successful, a similar program for phone support could be considered for the future.
Alongside the new any-time online support chat service, Apple is also planning to launch a completely redesigned AppleCare site to better accommodate the changes, as well as to more closely match the design of iOS 7, for the benefit of Apple’s freshest customers. Among the changes will be a new interface with much larger and easier to use controls, as well as making it easier for customers to pinpoint the problem they are having with their device.
The redesign is build mostly around speed and ease of use, connecting a customer with a support agent to resolve their issues in the swiftest manner possible, rather than the current method of first directing users to read various support articles before referring them to an actual support representative.
The interface has been retooled with large, easy-to-understand controls that are more in line with the colorful icons in iOS. The new design makes it simpler for users to drill-down and provide Apple with information about the issue. The image above and the two below were sent in by a source. The redesigned AppleCare is expected to launch within the next few weeks (well in time for iOS 7 and new iPhones), alongside a new set of internal tools for AppleCare’s support professionals.
9to5Mac also provided the gallery of images found below, depicting the new design of the AppleCare site. As always, we’ll let you know if and when we hear anything further!
