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> I don't see how the old dedicated space for a Genius Bar would work better. The problem is that the old way tied tech support to a spatial location in the sto

> I don't see how the old dedicated space for a Genius Bar would work better. The problem is that the old way tied tech support to a spatial location in the store. The new way assigned tech support to a person instead of a location. This allows any and every table in the store to become a temporary "genius bar" for that customer session. It's better UX. As a customer, I know what a service counter looks like, but I can't recognize a tech support employee roaming around. > If an Apple exec wants to bring back the dedicated area for the Genius Bar, how does one avoid the logistical nightmare of those lines? You still have to work within the same finite retail floor space. Their current process is a logistical nightmare. Basically they take a description of what you're wearing, then tell you to hang around in a crowd by the "Genius Bar" next to the iPhone cases. Eventually some employee is supposed to pick you out of that crowd based on the description they entered earlier. Lines are a well understood, tried-and-true technology for managing crowds. What they're doing is different but not better.

jasode 7y ago
>, I know what a service counter looks like, but I can't recognize a tech support employee roaming around. But you don't have to recognize them. The idea is that the Apple employee greeting you at the door brings the tech support person to you. >Lines are a well understood, tried-and-true technology for managing crowds. What they're doing is different but not better. I guess I'm underestimating typical customers. Would most people really rather stand in line for 45 minutes to 2 hours instead of just sitting down somewhere? That seems very uncomfortable. A lot of times, I see customers sitting on the cube chairs and waiting there. Example photo of those chairs: https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/06/img_0016.jpg?quality=82&strip=all https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/06/img_0... Standing in line seems way more uncomfortable and therefore worse UX. As comparison, Apple's "check out" process to buy something isn't tied to a specific location of a bank of cash registers. Instead, each employee uses their iPad/iPhone as a "roaming register" to process credit-cards and send receipts. In effect, the whole store's floor space acts as a checkout register. I just don't see customers complaining about that and wishing that Apple would just consolidate all checkout processes to a specific location because they prefer to stand in line. Customers seem to comprehend the "no line" checkout process without trouble. Apple does more sales than Tiffany's jewelry store that has traditional fixed cash registers. It seems like Apple extended the concept for "roaming checkout registers" to "roaming genius bars".
- CharlesColeman 7y ago
  > But you don't have to recognize them. The idea is that the Apple employee greeting you at the door brings the tech support person to you. N = 3, but that's never happened to me. They're always busy with someone. Customers actually have to wait in line to greet the greeter (3-5 deep last time I was there, when I had a Genius bar appointment that I was on time for but they weren't). > A lot of times, I see customers sitting on the cube chairs and waiting there. The store I go to is pretty busy and they haven't dedicated space for seating like that, so you get to join the crowd waiting next to the phone cases. > Instead, each employee uses their iPad/iPhone as a "roaming register" to process credit-cards and send receipts. That's one retail innovation they've done that actually makes some sense. Given that almost every large retail store has roaming employees, if you can flag one down you might as well finish your transaction with them.

jasode 7y ago

>, I know what a service counter looks like, but I can't recognize a tech support employee roaming around. But you don't have to recognize them. The idea is that the Apple employee greeting you at the door brings the tech support person to you. >Lines are a well understood, tried-and-true technology for managing crowds. What they're doing is different but not better. I guess I'm underestimating typical customers. Would most people really rather stand in line for 45 minutes to 2 hours instead of just sitting down somewhere? That seems very uncomfortable. A lot of times, I see customers sitting on the cube chairs and waiting there. Example photo of those chairs: https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/06/img_0016.jpg?quality=82&strip=all https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/06/img_0... Standing in line seems way more uncomfortable and therefore worse UX. As comparison, Apple's "check out" process to buy something isn't tied to a specific location of a bank of cash registers. Instead, each employee uses their iPad/iPhone as a "roaming register" to process credit-cards and send receipts. In effect, the whole store's floor space acts as a checkout register. I just don't see customers complaining about that and wishing that Apple would just consolidate all checkout processes to a specific location because they prefer to stand in line. Customers seem to comprehend the "no line" checkout process without trouble. Apple does more sales than Tiffany's jewelry store that has traditional fixed cash registers. It seems like Apple extended the concept for "roaming checkout registers" to "roaming genius bars".

CharlesColeman 7y ago
> But you don't have to recognize them. The idea is that the Apple employee greeting you at the door brings the tech support person to you. N = 3, but that's never happened to me. They're always busy with someone. Customers actually have to wait in line to greet the greeter (3-5 deep last time I was there, when I had a Genius bar appointment that I was on time for but they weren't). > A lot of times, I see customers sitting on the cube chairs and waiting there. The store I go to is pretty busy and they haven't dedicated space for seating like that, so you get to join the crowd waiting next to the phone cases. > Instead, each employee uses their iPad/iPhone as a "roaming register" to process credit-cards and send receipts. That's one retail innovation they've done that actually makes some sense. Given that almost every large retail store has roaming employees, if you can flag one down you might as well finish your transaction with them.