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Apple Redesigns Its AppleCare Live Chat Support Page

August 27, 2013

In the arsenal of tools designed to help support customers in their queries, chat has carved out an impressive niche for itself. There is good reason: agents can carry out more than one chat at once, and technical support details such as registration numbers and product models (which can be lengthy) can be put into print form.


For this reason, chat is particularly well suited to technical support. The asynchronous nature of it means that tech support personnel can handle multiple chats at the same time, without (for example) wasting time on the phone for a customer to hunt down a flashlight and climb behind his or her computer to find a serial number.

Apple, which has a solid reputation for its tech support, recently expanded its use of chat with the launch of a new AppleCare support website that offers 24/7 chat support. (Another great benefit of chat is that, since there is no voice element, accents aren’t an issue and organizations can outsource chat tech support to foreign outsourcing markets without customers’ knowledge.)

The new AppleCare website is easier for users to follow and it groups product categories in more understandable fashion, according to 9to5Mac, which recently reviewed the site. The new support site also makes it simpler for customers to identify the exact issues with their device, as users are first faced with an array of different devices when they first log on, and they simply click on the device they are seeking support for.

Customers can also use the new AppleCare chat site to schedule other kinds of contacts, such as a telephone call, an in-store Genius Bar appointment, or even a live chat at a later time or date.

“On the topic of live chat support, we’re told that 24/7 chat support has begun rolling out,” writes 9to5Mac. “Initially, the support was limited to certain hardware and software, but now Apple is supporting both Mac and iOS Device support at every hour of the day and night.”

While there are apparently some bugs to work out – some users are reporting seeing the old AppleCare page instead of the new one – it seems likely that Apple users worldwide will find the new site a bit more user-friendly.




Edited by Alisen Downey



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