14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung and Apple are going head-to-head in the mobile race right now, with both companies trying to innovate and bring new features and hardware to their devices ahead of the competition.
But it’s also no secret that in many cases each has followed in the footsteps of the other, and it now looks like it’s Samsung’s turn to do it.
The South Korean firm is launching a pilot program that would bring so-called care centers in several locations across the United States, including in New York, Detroit, and Miami.
The idea behind these centers might certainly sound familiar for Apple customers: Samsung wants to provide premium support services where customers can discuss directly with engineers and have devices serviced in a high-class environment. In other words, a more premium version of the Apple Genius Bar that Apple currently operates in many locations in the US.
Premium service
Mick McConnell, VP of design at Samsung Electronics America, explains that the idea of creating care centers for the company’s customers was born after he paid a visit to an Apple Genius Bar and had to wait an hour and a half more than he was supposed to due to the busy schedule in the Apple Store.
As a result, what Samsung plans to do is collaborate with shared workplace startup WeWork to set up several locations where delays wouldn’t be experienced and where customers are provided with a premium experience that involves being served with coffee and fruit-infused water. Each care center would be fitted with phones, video conferencing systems, computers, and everything else a customer would need to do his job while waiting to get support from a Samsung expert.
“Service is a hassle. I know I'm going to have to take time out of my day to do it,” McConnell was quoted as saying. “The concept was, if I take time out of my day, at least I can sit in a conference room, make phone calls, and do work, as opposed to sitting in a busy room with a bunch of angry people.”
Samsung plans to use these locations for several other original ideas, including after-hours demos, tutorials, and sessions with customers, again similar to Apple’s own Today at Apple programs.