Genius Bar
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| Genius Bar | |
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 The Genius Bar at the Apple Store SoHo, New York, in 2003 |
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| Formation | May 2001 |
| Parent organization | Apple |
| Website | apple.com/retail/geniusbar |
The Genius Bar is a tech support station located inside every Apple Retail Store, the purpose of which is to offer help and support for Apple products. Ron Johnson, the former Senior Vice President for Retail, has often referred to the Genius Bar as the "heart and soul of our stores".[1] Employees are specially trained and certified at the Genius Bar.[2] Their role is to help customers with Apple hardware and software. All in-store repairs of Apple products are carried out by "Geniuses", formerly known as Mac Geniuses. In September, 2009 the Family Room Specialists were folded into the mix to handle iPod and iPhone troubleshooting. After its release in 2010, iPad appointments also fell under the Family Room Specialists. Apple now maintains two Genius Bar queues: Mac and Mobile Device.[3]
Store layout
The layout of a Genius Bar previously consisted of at least two 15" MacBook Pro computers, often mounted on "floating" stands. Employees use iPads with similar software to check in machines for repairs. There may be other "floating" notebooks for iPod/iPhone troubleshooting. LCD screens behind the Bar play looped videos which offer tips to customers waiting for help. Stools can be found in front of the Bar for people to sit and chat with each other or with employees.
The "Red Telephone" sometimes seen behind the Genius Bar was a direct line to Apple product specialists, allowing for problems and questions too complicated for the in-store employees to answer.[4] This phone is no longer installed in newer Apple Retail Stores.[citation needed]
Staff
The employees can also be viewed as the local representatives of AppleCare. They offer personal support when customers have problems or questions with their Apple products. Most services carried out at the Genius Bar are free. Non-warranty service (which is paid for by the customer when repairs are complete) is also routinely performed. In some countries, Apple has service depots where portable repairs (for issues such as accidental damage) can be completed for a flat rate. Most portable computer repairs, and all desktop repairs are performed in-store, and completed overnight, or within a few days.
Larger support teams are headed up by the "Lead Genius," who schedule workers, and handle customer service issues at the Genius Bar. The Lead Genius is assisted by the "Genius Admin," who is in charge of the administrative paperwork and other daily tasks.
Trainees (referred to as "GYO," or Grow-Your-Own Geniuses) are not certified, but trained for iPod and iPhone issues, and help out where needed before going to formal training and certification at one of several training locations worldwide, including Cupertino, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Sydney, Australia; London, England and Ireland.
Spinoffs/offshoots
The Studio and the iPod bar, two offshoots of the Genius Bar concept, are present in many new and renovated stores.
- The Studio is staffed by "trainers" who serve customers with questions about many Apple consumer and pro applications, such as iLife, iWork, Final Cut Pro, and Aperture. Third party applications are not officially supported.[5]
- The iPod Bar serves to separate out the customers with iPod-related questions to allow the Genius Bar to focus on customers with Macintosh-specific queries.[6]
Pro Labs and Open Lab were introduced with the opening of the Apple Store on West 14th Street in New York City, while Pro Labs is also offered at the Sydney, Australia Apple Store and Pudong, China Apple Store. Open Lab to date is only offered at the West 14th Street location.[7][8]
- Pro Labs consist of eight hours of training, spread across a series of four two-hour sessions. Much like The Studio, these sessions focus on Apple's "Pro Apps" such as Aperture and Final Cut Pro, as well as other third-party applications such as Photoshop, however, they are much more in-depth and focused than sessions at The Studio.
- Open Lab provides first-come, first-served assistance to customers with various applications, much like the early days of the Genius Bar, but with an emphasis on software as opposed to the Genius Bar's focus on hardware.
Apple has also branded features in their iTunes application "Genius" that make musical suggestions based on your observed taste.
- The Guru Bar is Microsoft's spin on the Genius Bar. It is located inside Microsoft's new retail stores helping customers with technical issues from hardware to software.
References
- ^ IFO Apple Store (2004-03-01). "Analysist's Conference". http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/analyst_conf.html. Retrieved 2006-10-13.
- ^ Ungeni.us, "Mac Genius Training."
- ^ Softpedia.com
- ^ Macworld.com "Big Crowds Cheer Apple Store Debut in California, May 19, 2001. Macworld.com
- ^ Apple.com, "The Studio"
- ^ Gizmodo.com "iPod Bar Japan: Great service, but the cocktails need work" Gizmodo.com
- ^ Apple Retail Store - Retail Pro Lab
- ^ Apple Store West 14th Street
External links
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