Apple’s ‘geniuses’ are straining under the iPhone’s success, but revamped stores in the US could ease the pressure
Technicians at Apple’s US stores called ‘geniuses’ say they’re feeling strained from the additional volume and demand from customers
By Kif Leswing
A week before Apple released the iPhone X, its most important new product launch in years, CEO Tim Cook flew hundred of miles away to the middle of the country.
He made the trip to attend the opening of a new “flagship” Apple store in Chicago.
The Chicago store showcased the new design Apple is rolling out across its network of retail outlets, a massive revamp that includes bigger spaces with sweeping balconies and leather seating balls, an upgraded title (retail stores are now “Apple’s biggest product”) and opening day fanfare reminiscent of an iPhone launch.
The store makeovers are great fodder for press releases that tout “town squares” and space for community building.
But the store redesigns also serve a more critical function, by providing a much-needed overhaul of Apple’s customer support system, the Genius Bar — a signature feature of Apple’s retail business that has struggled to keep up with the times. According to numerous blue-shirted “geniuses” that Business Insider spoke to, a rising tide of store visitors and on-the-job performance expectations have pushed the system to the breaking point.
“The customer service model is about ready to pop,” says one Apple “genius” who has worked at the company for seven years and requested anonymity because employees are not permitted to talk to the press. “That is the issue and the employees are feeling it,” the person says.