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Sonos Promises to Recommit to Software Quality and Customer Experience After App Disaster

MacRumors said:


Sonos today announced a series of new commitments that are meant to demonstrate the company's "renewed focus" on software quality and customer experience. The announcement and an accompanying video from Sonos CEO Patrick Spence come as Sonos tries to ameliorate the negative experience customers have had with the May Sonos app update.


Going forward, Sonos says that it isn't just going to fix its app mistake, but also build a better Sonos experience. To that end, Sonos made seven pledges:
  • Unwavering focus on customer experience with ambitious quality benchmarks, and a promise to not launch products that don't meet the standards customers expect.
  • More stringent pre-launch testing with a broader range of customers to resolve issues before new software comes out.
  • No more all-at-once app releases. Any new major changes to the Sonos app will be released gradually, and customers will be able to opt-in to test new features before they become default.
  • There will be a new Quality Ombudsperson role that will give employees a clear path to raise concerns regarding quality and customer experience.
  • Home speaker products currently under warranty will have their warranty extended for an additional year.
  • App updates will come every two to four weeks to "optimize and enhance" the app experience. This includes after the current issues are fixed.
  • Sonos is establishing a Customer Advisory Board to provide feedback and insights from a customer perspective to shape and improve products before they launch.
Sonos says that its Executive Leadership Team will not accept any bonus payout for the October 2024 to September 2025 fiscal year unless Sonos is able to improve the quality of the app and rebuild customer trust.

According to Sonos, more than 80 percent of the missing features from the app have now been reintroduced, and the company expects to be at close to 100 percent in the coming weeks.

Recent reports have suggested that Sonos employees raised an alarm prior to when the redesigned Sonos app launched in May. The app was an immediate disappointment to customers because it was riddled with bugs and missing many key Sonos features, and there was significant outcry over the downgrade. Sonos was not able to roll back the changes, and has spent 2024 trying to fix the app.

Sonos has delayed new product launches to focus on software, and as a result, will miss its annual revenue target by $200 million.

Article Link: Sonos Promises to Recommit to Software Quality and Customer Experience After App Disaster
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Too little too late.
Do these people really expect customers to trust them?
My $2500 of Sonos crap when out in the garbage.
Good riddance.
 
arc of the universe said:
you can tell by the way he delivers that prepared speech that that guy himself is the biggest part of the problem.

i have never seen a worse example of a corporate apology / we messed up.

1 he comes across as arrogant
2 he doesn't come across as actually sorry
3 the changes that he talks about are patently surface level and perfunctory (he talks about an ombudsman who will give two reports a year, etctera)
4 he doesn't actually take the blame himself, rather blames it on the organisation

in short, nothing has or will change at sonos. and it will happen again, but they will try to have better PR next time.

universities will be using this video in classes for years to come as how to not make a corporate apology.
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I agree it's awkward to watch and doesn't feel authentic at all. He lost me at "we'll never fall short of our promise again." What sort of CEO says something they know they can't guarantee? He lost all credibility there. It would be better just to say we all make mistakes sometimes. At least that's believable!
 
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MN7119 said:
I might be the minority here but nothing is wrong with my Sonos system after the app update. It works like it worked before.
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Really? I find that surprising. How do you edit Sonos playlists with the new app? According to Sonos this is a feature that is still not supported by the new app. You should let Sonos know how you managed to get it working like before.
 
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Love it when corporations start crawling. I mean who on earth approved the May update in the first place?

Why were these points not applicable then? Heads should have rolled.
 
I love how they extend the warranty on customers that are bought recently, but the ones that put in money outside of the warranty. And probably were more foundational during Covid get the shaft.

Their customer support is some of the worst and that CEO needs to go away. It’s all lip service.
 
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Sonos' idea to admit they f*cked up: "Let's get our ceo to apologize for not listening to his employees because his ego was more important than listening to others' advice. Our eco is a clean-cut white guy, so people will listen to him and accept our apology" :rolleyes:
 
I can’t believe we’re still going on about this, and Sonos are still publishing these apologies and this marketing drivvle. If the aim is to stay in the public eye it’s working but im kinda sick of hearing about it now, it’s becoming every week. I get they are trying to be transparent, but just get on with it.

I agree this video doesn’t land well. Not sure whose brilliant idea it was.
 
I sold all my Sonos speakers except our old soundbar that works great with a wired connection. The old app was horrific and the new app made the speakers useless. I switched over to Apple HomePods and they work flawlessly. Bye Sonos.
 
wanha said:
My thoughts exactly
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My experience (as a COO of 10 years) is that when it comes to people volunteering to reduce their bonus - to any extent - the room goes very … very quiet.. regardless of how monumentally they have f****d up.

I have multiple examples that are not just wrong but morally undefendable.
 
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What brand are those of you who are leaving Sonos are you going to? What is a solid option for wireless home theater that compares to the likes of the arc and sub?
 
I cannot fathom why the Sonos board is allowing Spence to announce anything other than his resignation.
 
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MacRumors said:
Sonos today announced a series of new commitments that are meant to demonstrate the company's "renewed focus" on software quality and customer experience.
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Thanks for the words but consumers are numb to them. Action is all that counts. This includes Apple.
 
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H.E. Pennypacker said:
What brand are those of you who are leaving Sonos are you going to? What is a solid option for wireless home theater that compares to the likes of the arc and sub?
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For whole home? Airplay is the only other real option. I went back to it for a bit when the new app first came out but unfortunately even with the current app, Sonos is still more reliable.

Other than that, you’re running cables.
 
Maybe if the arrogant f'ers didn't demand you switch on precise location to add a new device, didn't demand you update the system before being able to continue using it, and didn't attempt to obsolete hardware before backpedalling following customer outcry a few years back, we might believe what this guy said.
 
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LeeTom said:
The developers are still furious.
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As they should be since their resumes are attached. As far as they wanted “more” than this is dubious but they certainly had inside knowledge on the risk factors. The middle managers are just as complicit as the executive leadership.
 
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New versions every 2-4 weeks is asking for complexity. A better plan would be to have periodic releases with reasonable deadlines.
 
MN7119 said:
I might be the minority here but nothing is wrong with my Sonos system after the app update. It works like it worked before.
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I have several commercial installs and all but one never had any problems. There is another one that has been an unmitigated disaster to the point we pulled the Sonos:pRE's and replaced them with the Russound equivalent. I forced the equipment swap after having billed quite a bit of time troubleshooting including complete resets on the (3) units they had. No more problems. The Russound MBX has a less than stellar interface but it just works.
 
just say you f'ed up and you are sorry. then fix the mess up and make it good again. say you won't make the same mistake twice. move forward... it has taken almost six months to get to this point in the fiasco and nothing has happened in a positive manner...
 
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