Apple Launches Express Lane, Revolutionizes Troubleshooting

Various reports point out to a newly-added web site called Express Lane, where Apple customers can troubleshoot almost any kind of issue they’re experiencing, by using a simple tool that narrows down their search for a fix.

Express Lane is a ingeniously-crafted support site from Apple which aids customers in pinpointing their issues, by selecting a product category, a particular product from that category, and finally the problematic part comprising that product.

Customers can then enter the product’s serial number, even describe the issue, while Apple will do its best to provide recommended support documents.

If everything else fails, a final “Contact Options” page is presented to the user.

Various customer service options are available, depending on the nature of the problem.

As expected from the Cupertino, California giant, the the Express Lane interface is extremely intuitive and straightforward.

Although there may be more than three steps to take before getting to the bottom of an issue, the Express Lane site makes sure you know exactly where you are, in terms of proximity to the resolution.

As shown in the screenshot above, three panes is all the customer needs to select any Apple product or service and the portions that make them up.

A tab named “my products” allows customers to save a select list of hardware products registered to their account.

Finally, “case lookup” is there to provide immediate assistance for a problem that may have already been resolved in the past.

Apple also recently announced plans to discontinue the Apple Discussions forum, and replace it with Apple Support Communities, a more social, user profile-based service, which includes biographies, images, the ability to personalize your homepage, select preferences, add widgets, and more.

The service will be there to provide a wealth of information about a customer’s favorite Apple hardware and software, in order to help them get the most out of their purchase, Apple said.