The team at Apple is prepping a major overhaul for its AppleCare customer support platform.
According to a report from 9to5Mac , the company will begin offering AppleCare chat services 24 hours a day, seven days a week starting August 12. The report suggests that August 12 is just a “target date” for the launch, and that it could be pushed back.
In the rumor, the Apple reporting portal writes:
The 24/7 chat support will likely be applicable for both Mac and iOS Device users. As Apples iPad and iPhone hardware competition increases from companies such as Samsung, Apple will need to utilize its unique customer support prowess as a differentiating factor in the marketplace. 24/7 chat support via an easy-to-understand medium could assist in this.
If chat support is a success, AppleCare may soon begin to offer 24/7 phone support for Apple customers.
That isn’t the only update to the system. Apple is also believed to be redesigning its AppleCare website. The newly designed website is meant to support new iDevices and to offer a more fluid user experience.
9to5Mac says the “finishing touches” are currently being put on the new website. The rumor also suggests that “the interface has been retooled with large, easy-to-understand controls that are more in line with the colorful icons in iOS. The new design makes it simpler for users to drill-down and provide Apple with information about the issue.”
Apple has not confirmed the overhaul to its customer service platform at this time.
I’m actually surprised that the world’s most profitable tech company has not been offering 24/7 tech support all along. Unfortunately, if your device is broken, online chat support probably isn’t going to do you much good.
