If you're thinking of bypassing the long lines at Apple stores next week to get an iPhone 5S or iPhone 5C, you may want to consider ordering over the phone.
According to new research, Apple does a better job of fielding customer questions and placing phone orders during product-launch times than the industry average.
StellaService, which looks at online and telephone-based customer service at nationwide retailers, released data surrounding Apple's last two major launches (the iPad mini and the iPhone 5 in 2012), and looked at how they compared to wait times during the rest of the year. The findings showed customer-service wait times and shipping took longer than usual during product-launch periods — but not by much.
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For those that call Apple's main phone line for inquiries, the average time it took for a customer to reach a live agent jumped 19% during the weeks surrounding the iPhone 5 release (Sept. 1 to Oct. 12, 2012), compared to periods not involving a new product launch. But the average time during those high periods is only about two minutes and 30 seconds.
"Wait times increase during Apple launch periods, and there's a good chance you will be put on hold when you call, but given the volume of interest the company gets, it does a really good job," Ty McMahan, director of content at StellaService, told Mashable. "Waiting about 2:30 minutes to talk with an employee is very middle of the road. Their performance during such a major retail event is actually better than half of the field."
Shipping times also increase during product-launch periods, but again, not as much as you'd think. During non-product-launch periods, Apple averaged just under four days to get packages to shoppers' doorsteps. This number jumped to 4.7 days in October when the iPhone 5 was shipping, and an average of six days in November when the iPad Mini began shipping.
"It is a significant achievement to organize fast and handle such a massive volume of inquiries, and still remain among the best across retail," McMahan said. "Data shows Apple has been improving phone wait times by 45 seconds in the past year."
However, it's important to note that Apple doesn't answer customer-service questions via email or social media — only over the phone and through live-chat support.
"Of all the companies we cover, only Apple and Microsoft do not offer email service," McMahan said. "This service strategy is interesting since most shoppers prefer to reach out over phone or email. What Apple is basically saying is that they don’t believe in having shoppers wait when they have questions by offering a human touch every time."
How do you prefer interacting with retailers? Sound off in the comments, below.
Image: Mashable