In a bid to recover from a tumultuous few months, Sonos has outlined a comprehensive plan to rectify the issues plaguing its mobile app. The company’s CEO, Patrick Spence, acknowledged the missteps and emphasized the company’s commitment to regaining users’ trust.
“We took a hard look at what went wrong and have been working tirelessly to convert those learnings into action,” Spence stated. “Our goal is to reestablish Sonos as the go-to brand for exceptional home audio by delivering the best possible customer experience.”
The plan is built around two key pillars: addressing the root causes of the app’s problems and rebuilding user trust. To achieve the first goal, Sonos is implementing an “unwavering focus on customer experience” by setting rigorous quality benchmarks at the outset of product development and ensuring that products meet these standards before release.
A new quality ombudsperson will be appointed to serve as a liaison for employees with quality and customer experience concerns. This individual will provide regular reports to executives and employees, fostering a culture of transparency and accountability.
To fortify its testing processes, Sonos will expand its beta testing program to encompass a broader range of users and setups, with longer testing periods to facilitate faster issue resolution. The company will also introduce a gradual rollout of major app changes, allowing users to provide feedback before updates become default.
Additionally, Sonos is making several commitments to rebuild user trust. The company is extending manufacturer warranties for all home speaker products still under warranty as a goodwill gesture. Regular app updates will be released every two to four weeks to optimize and enhance the software experience.
A customer advisory board will be established to provide Sonos with valuable feedback and insights from a customer perspective, informing product development and improvement. These changes are slated for implementation by year’s end, with some already in place.
Sonos has acknowledged that the app’s issues will incur a significant cost, estimated at $20-30 million, and has led to a delay in product releases and staff layoffs. However, the company claims to have restored over 80% of the app’s missing features, with nearly 100% restoration expected in the coming weeks.
