In their continuing effort to improve the Apple Retail Store experience for employees and customers alike, Apple has begun rolling out changes to their Genius Bar area, and to the management software Apple Retail employees run on their iOS devices.
According to several retail sources, the first changes went into action today. Starting with a revamped version of the Concierge Genius Bar management software that Apple Retail employees run on iOS devices.
The report says that the Concierge app has been completely redesigned for both the iPad and iPod touch., with a new “dashboard” view, with the left side of the app showing work assigned to individual employees, with the right/middle area showing the appointments within the differing types of Genius Bar work.
Employees can now log a customer in, or mark a customer as late for their appointment with a quick swipe gesture. A new calendar section shows all of the upcoming One-to-One appointments. It is also easier for employees to register and view upcoming appointments, as well as book a customer into one of the workshop sessions that retail stores offer.
An important new change in the software is the new “Session Manager” system. Session Manager is built into the new Concierge app, it will allow Genius Bar customers to have their appointments assigned to individual Genius Bar employees, allowing for a more streamlined process. If an employee is running overtime with a customer, the Session Manager will assign an upcoming appointment to an available Genius.
Other changes are a stronger focus on formal appointments, but the process for walk-in appointments has also been improved, as the system will now allow the booking of appointments in five minute intervals, instead of the former ten minute intervals. This depends on staffing levels, store conditions, and how long appointments are running.
The new system includes a one and a half our maximum wait time for walk-in appointments.
The Genius Bar itself will show a larger focus on fixing Macs. Apple wants the iOS Genius work to be done in the main store area, with the Genius Bar reserved for Mac work. While this policy has already been in place, it will be even more emphasized under the new system.
