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San Francisco: Apple will reportedly stop offering assistance to customers via X (formerly Twitter), as well as YouTube and the Apple Support Community online forum.
According to MacRumors, citing sources, the tech giant plans to eliminate social media support advisor roles across these platforms starting later this year.
Customers will no longer be able to receive support from an Apple employee on these platforms once this change takes effect.
Beginning October 1, the @AppleSupport account on X will no longer respond to direct messages with human responses; instead, customers who message the account will receive an automated response outlining other ways to contact Apple for assistance, the report said.
In addition, customers will no longer be able to get technical help from Apple in the comments section of YouTube videos uploaded to the Apple Support channel, and the paid Community Specialist role for the Apple Support Community, an online discussion forum where customers can get help, will be eliminated.
According to the report, the tech giant is offering hundreds of affected employees the opportunity to transition to a phone-based support role within the company, but some advisors are unable or unwilling to do so.
The company is also not allowing employees to switch to another chat-based support role unless medically necessary, which has caused anger and frustration for some members of the social media team, the report added.
Further, the report mentioned that employees will be trained to provide phone support, and the transition is expected to be completed by November.
Those who do not wish to work on the phones were advised to look for work outside of Apple.
Meanwhile, Apple has revealed that its next big global product launch — showcasing the fresh lineup of the iPhone 15 series — will happen on September 12.
The tech giant is also expected to announce new Apple Watches at the event.
This post was last modified on August 31, 2023 2:04 pm