A guy walks into an Apple Store with an Apple Watch
In this hypothetical situation, what do you think happens? Recently I was having a discussion with a person I know in Apple Retail and the question of support for the Apple Watch came up. It just so happens that Apple has changed how support calls are handled, and there's a certain trepidation about handling the support needs of, shall we say, even pickier (and wealthier) customers. Selling the Watch is one thing, but supporting it is another entirely. Apple might sell the Watch in fine shopping stores (which I doubt, but it's been floated as a possibility), but support will either be via phone or Apple Store. This could be a problem.
While I can't get into the details of how Apple changed its support system, I can say that it potentially could lead to even more traffic jams at the Genius Bar. I don't know about where you live, but with one Apple Store where I live, the store itself is pretty jam-packed. Getting an appointment is easy enough, but on regular occasion a Genius is helping more than one person at a time. And there are a lot of people who drop in, adding to the general cattle-yard feel. Plus, let's be honest and admit that if you pay $800 for a watch you probably don't want a simple phone call. But you also won't want to rub elbows with the flu-stricken schmo who just dragged a Mac SE/30 into the building only to ask how to install iWorks on the thing.
It's a little too early to worry, I suppose. Apple has been snatching up smart people who know fashion, retail and watches lately -- I'm certain that brainpower is being put to good use. Then again, Apple's retail division has suffered from a lack of leadership for a while, and recent changes are making it slightly more difficult for workers to serve customers. Adding a Watch, with myriad configurations and a very particular set of features to the mix could lead to a ding in Apple's otherwise industry-leading customer satisfaction scores. Yet I still can't wait to see the first hysterical, monied customer shouting at a hapless rep in a store that they "can't believe" they "have to wait" for someone to help them do something with the Watch. We all know what that looks like:
