Apple Inc. is gearing up to change how walk-in Genius Bar appointments work in its retail stores in an effort to improve the overall customer experience. Sources familiar with the company’s plans told 9to5Mac that the new initiative, called “The new Concierge”, will roll out in Apple U.S. stores starting March 9^th.

The new Concierge will replace the current system for handling walk-in Genius Bar support cases. Under the current system, a customer visiting a Genius Bar at an Apple Retail Store is given a specific appointment time to return to the store after explaining their issue to the check-in assistant.

The new system for handling walk-in Genius Bar queries is the brainchild of Retail Senior Vice President Angela Ahrendts and does away with giving a customer a set time to return to the store for assistance. Instead, a customer will explain their “i-device” related problem to an Apple Store employee, who in turn feeds the details into an updated iPad app. The app makes use of specialized algorithms to determine the severity of the problem and based on that score calculates an estimated wait time.

Instead of coming back to the store at an appointed time, the customer simply provides a phone number and Apple will send three text alerts with wait time updates:

“1) An initial text message confirming the Genius Bar request and providing the wait time

2) A text message telling the customer to start heading back to the Apple Store

3) A final text message telling the customer that their technician is ready to help and where they can be located in the store”

According to 9to5Mac, Apple employees have said that this is by far the biggest and most noteworthy change to how Apple Retail Stores work in many years. Employees pointed out that it will be more convenient for customers than the current system, as they are able to shop elsewhere at leisure until they are prompted to return to the store when someone is available to help them.

Genius Bar appointment booked online will remain unaffected by this change as it is designed specifically to streamline hoe walk-in service requests are handled.

This the second major change to come Apple Retail Stores in as many weeks. Earlier this month we learned that Apple Stores will get jewelry store-like security treatment to house the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition.

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