Apple stores roll out revised One to One support & training program
If you have purchased a Mac from Apple's online or retail stores in recent years, then you probably were offered a membership in an exclusive club known as "ProCare." ProCare's most valuable assets were advanced placement in the in-store repair queue and initial setup for new Macs, as well as free hour-long training sessions. The service, which debuted in 2004, was changed in 2007 when "One to One" was introduced, effectively splitting ProCare's training benefits into a separate service.While ProCare is not changing, One to One is being beefed up to offer some new features as well as some new limitations. ProCare's complete Mac setup & data transfer is now included with One to One. Previously, One to One only included a "simple" setup.
Other changes for One to One include exclusive workshops only available to One to One members as well as the new "Personal Projects" session for larger blocks of time. Now members can reserve a session for up to a three hour block of time to create, with an Apple trainer's assistance, "anything ... you can dream up." Similar to workshops, Personal Projects are a group activity in that several members will be present; while a workshop includes members working on the same topic, a project session includes members working on individual and unrelated tasks.
One to One is also now only available with the purchase of a new Mac at an Apple store; this is in contrast to the previous One to One and current ProCare services which could be purchased at any time. One to One memberships are also now only renewable two times for a maximum membership duration of three years. Existing memberships (beginning prior to June 2, 2009) in One to One will be renewable only one time.
You can purchase a new One to One membership along with a new Mac at any Apple Retail store now. According to Apple this service's availability will expand to Apple's online channel in the near future. The question, One to One members, is this: are you happy about the new features of One to One, or do you wish it had not changed? If you aren't already a One to One member, will you be joining the club the next time you purchase a Mac?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JAQ said 11:41AM on 6-03-2009
These changes to 1to1 are (in part) a reaction to the program's popularity. So many people were taking advantage of it that the stores were unable to accommodate them all, so this will limit the number of people who can sign up. The changes also allow a single Creative to work with more people at one time.
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iNEEDaniPhone said 7:25AM on 6-03-2009
Honestly, i didn't even know Apple offered this service until it was being reported in the news that they were changing it.
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SW said 8:26AM on 6-03-2009
This is one of the best features of the Apple Stores. You can get professional tuition for less than £2/hour.
I think the changes are a shame - in that switchers can't get the tuition before they commit to purchase - but I wonder how often this actually happened.
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JoshK said 8:26AM on 6-03-2009
"ProCare's most valuable assets were advanced placement in the in-store repair queue and initial setup for new Macs, as well as free hour-long training sessions"
Please don't call it free, it was included. I know companies do this garbage where they say it is free but it's really not. It is included. It's like Amazon saying, "If you're a Amazon Prime member you get free shipping," well, that's not free if I'm paying to have free shipping. It's included.
Does this bother anyone else?
On a related note, I'm not sure on the quality of these one to one sessions but they sound like a great idea. Especially for the older switcher crowd who is just learning the Mac and isn't so technologically inclined. I always wanted my dad to try it but I think he's past novice now and too busy.
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Bailey Berro said 10:04AM on 6-03-2009
I took some of these classes when I had to make Garage Band mix for a Mid Term project. They would take me aside to one of the computers noone was using, or I would bring my own. They went as in depth as you wanted them to. I learn a lot about Garage Band from this, even though I went in knowing how to use most of the features. I would definitely recommend these to anyone who wants to learn about the true power of an application. These are very high quality lessons
ianlive said 8:33AM on 6-03-2009
I think this is an amazing service and Apple should do a Get A Mac add to highlight this. As the post above mentioned, few people are aware of it.
I run a business in the Toronto, ON area that offers the same services in peoples homes or businesses but clearly I can't offer it as cheaply as Apple does.
When any of my clients are interested in making the trip to an Apple store, I highly recommend this plan to really take advantage of learning how to better use their Macs. It's just too good to pass up.
It is interesting to note that it's only available to new Mac users. I'd like to see what others think of this.
www.triplecloud.ca
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Steven said 12:18AM on 6-04-2009
I, like you, are an Independent Apple support person and a Board member of the Orange Apple Computer Club in Costa Mesa, California. I have made arrangements With a nearby Apple Store to allow them to come in and promote their One-2-One program while they provide an example of what the 1 hour session might cover. I also Volunteer for the Laguna Woods Village Mac Club, and here, also, we push the One-2-One training service. I also, cannot work for $2.00 an hour and I highly recommend this service. I think Apple has really screwed up on this one. This program gets people into the store and is a very valuable service. I think making you have to buy a new computer to sign up for it is totally unfair! I'll be contacting the Regional Manager for the nearby store to see if there is an alternative way to sign up for this.
loup407 said 9:06AM on 6-03-2009
I switched two years ago, and my wife and I have both been avid users of on-to-one. I think it's one of the smartest things Apple has done, and am sad they are changing the program. My wife has gone from (with her PC) being a technophobe, afraid to open an attachment; to having built her own website and using her MacBookPro in ways she never imagined; largely through help via One-to-One. I think it's a great brand-builder for Apple, and worth the investment. I'll be sad when mine expires.
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1999ncsu said 9:18AM on 6-03-2009
Keep the one to one experiences coming.
My dad recently told me he was thinking about switching for iLife. He lives five minutes from an apple store, I think this would be perfect for him.
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Matt Dale said 10:37AM on 6-03-2009
As an Apple Authorized Reseller I always appreciate it when Apple makes it harder for me to sell computers. I used to be able to sell to a customer and only have to worry about the one-to-one program taking some of the consulting time away, now I lose the sale since computers purchased at Apple Authorized Resellers are not eligible for the one-to-one program anymore.
Thanks for sticking up for the little guys Apple!
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ubernym said 11:40AM on 6-03-2009
I work at an Apple Specialist store and we have a program similar to the one-to-one program, but we have no restrictions for who can purchase it. You don't even have to own a mac (which would be a little strange, but hey).
We only do one hour sessions, but they are one on one and we have the benefit of teaching beyond just Apple's products, and being able to recommend solutions that Apple Corporate stores wouldn't necessarily consider or even advocate, (nothing illegal, though).
Apple's change is great news for us, because we'll likely see an increase of signups for our program because of this policy. I don't know what Apple's motivation behind one-to-one is (seems like it's just a deal-maker for selling computers) but for us it's all about building a clientele that comes back to the store over and over to buy accessories, which any Apple reseller knows is where the real money gets made.
Ira said 10:56AM on 6-04-2009
As a former One-To-One "Creative" I think it is a great idea that Apple is expanding the time allotted to spend with clients, as well as the idea of project work. Often times while working with a client we ran out of time, and a project would take weeks to complete. With this new policy, it may only take one or two sessions for someone to get that same project done!
It's also a great idea to only offer One To One with the purchase of a new computer. It eliminates the confusion and time consumption involved in trying to "backward teach" to an older Operating System or version (think iMovie 06 vs. 08).
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gus said 12:29PM on 6-03-2009
I forced my wife to get 1-1 when she got her new Mac. With it she's built websites--including shopping carts, manages her iPod, and helps the kids with their homework much better. She also started buying software, and getting training for it on site. And the educator discount made it an even better deal, knocking about 20% off the initial price.
It was helpful to note that the new system will limit renewals--got to make sure she doesn't miss out on that.
And as an ITpro, I can come home from work and not have to spend the night doing tech-support and training. Love it!
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Matt said 1:26PM on 6-03-2009
My 60-something Aunt and Uncle purchased their first Mac and One-to-One last year after they retired. They've been have a lot of fun with it. They look forward to their class every week and often tell me about all the things they've learned and are doing with their Mac. My Aunt no longer calls me for support, which is awesome! If she has a question or problem, she writes it down and asks it at her next class. She takes amazing notes and has even taught me a thing or two. With their One-to-One expiring soon, they plan on renewing for another year. It's a shame that Apple has now alienated users who would renew for many years to come. I understand the program's popularity, but why do dedicated users need to suffer?
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A said 2:59PM on 6-03-2009
At 73 and just switched to Mac I need One-to-One. Shame on Apple that I can't renew for more than a year.
Sparky
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ianlive said 5:43PM on 6-03-2009
Congratulations Sparky am welcome aboard. You just made your golden years truly golden ;)
novaburn said 2:59PM on 6-03-2009
I am a trainer at an Apple store and think the changes are great! (an unbiased opinion as we are pretty jaded and fairly grounded in reality) It's sad to see the option to buy at any time taken away, but it is great to know that we're gonna be dealing with new machines and new software instead of six year old iBooks running iMovie 6.
The quality of the training is great and is not limited to new users, we also teach every Apple Pro App!!
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Chris said 12:53AM on 6-07-2009
I am a former One to One Trainer ( Creative ). Apple retail is always tweaking their programs to best fitr their customers AND their stores.
I think for many customers this will be sad news. I had a couple in their 80's who's 1 hour a week they spent with us learning their Mac was one of the few times they got out of the house! Some customers I think would make this a lifetime membership if they could.
On the flip side Novaburn makes a good point that having a customer sign up then come in with an old Mac with outdated software, ( I'm talking OS 8 & 9 people) would drive the trainers crazy.
On the other other flip side, I think Apple is lowering their standard for who can become a "Creative" (full-time trainer) Originally the Creative's were the best and most knowledgeable Mac people in their respective area's. For Apple it was getting harder and harder to hire these people and pay them relatively low. When I left they were having a hard time with canidates passing tests that most serious Mac users who have used a Mac for more than 5 years could pass.
So this move will help them make the customers they do work with much happy because a new Mac will be familar to a new trainer.
I think I need to do a blog post about this.....
Mike Kirsch said 11:44PM on 6-03-2009
A major selling point to people who are buying their first Mac has been the availability of the One-to-One training. I had the training originally as part of the ProCare but didn't continue with it once it was split into its own service, but in my case primarily because the training was way too basic for me and the trainers couldn't answer the advanced questions I was interested in exploring.
However, I've recommended Macs to many people, mostly mature to senior citizen, as the easiest way to get into computing when you have no background. And I recommended that each of those people also purchase the One-to-One training so that they would actually learn how to use the computer (try THAT in the Windoze world).
Apple, as a corporation, has been gaining market share. At least a portion of that success has to be attributed to third-party retailers like (now defunct) Circuit City. And Apple, according to rumors, is busy signing up WalMart to sell Macs.
So it baffles me how Apple figures that Macs' popularity will gain if they take an important item like One-to-One training and make it available ONLY if you buy your Mac at Apple. Since Apple products are never discounted by 3rd party sellers, this leaves only DISadvantages to buying a Mac from a 3rd party retailer. Does Apple really believe that those retail partners will be successful, and continue to make Apple successful, when Apple changes the rules in a way that makes it clearly advantageous only to buy form Apple?
It seems like this move is going to be a big disaster; it remains to be seen how this may affect Mac market share growth in the long term.
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kwottowa said 9:49AM on 7-07-2009
I'm sad. I had one to one and was going to renew and now I cannot! I'd like to have that option again!!!!!
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