Sonos' app relaunch in May will be studied as a lesson in business schools for years to come. The home audio company prioritized attracting new customers over its existing loyal fan base when adding Ace headphones to its product portfolio. The result was a bug-filled release that led to missed revenue and over 100 layoffs. Subsequent product releases have also reportedly been delayed.
As October dawns, its effects are still being felt. But the company announced plans Tuesday that it hopes will go a long way toward reversing fortunes and repairing relations. Sonos has set out the following seven “promises.” These range from business platitudes such as “an unwavering focus on the customer experience” and “showing humility when introducing change” to more specifics such as extending warranties and appointing a “quality ombudsman.” A wide range of solutions are available.
Overall, reactions have been mixed. Things like “constantly improving the app experience with regular software upgrades” are difficult, if not impossible, to quantify. However, if you dig deeper, you'll see something like, “Even after this issue is resolved, we will publish updated versions of our mobile software every 2-4 weeks to optimize and enhance your software experience.” Indicators will begin to appear.
Three actionable items jump off the list. The first is the appointment of an “ombudsperson.'' This person will effectively act as a liaison between fellow employees and management. They communicate employee concerns to executive management during the development process, present them to the board of directors, and produce biannual transparency reports.
In terms of restoring trust, Sonos says it is working to create a “customer advisory board” where its user base can provide feedback “to help shape and improve our software and products before launch.” As a show of good faith, the company is extending the manufacturer's warranty for currently covered home theater products and speakers by an additional year.
Regarding its progress, Sonos wrote, “Many of these efforts are already underway, and others will be implemented throughout the remainder of this year.” The company added that it will suspend executive bonus payments from October 2024 to September 2025 “unless we succeed in improving the quality of the app experience and rebuilding customer trust.” Sonos says more than 80% of the functionality removed from the app has been restored, and “nearly 100%” will be restored in the coming weeks.
“Since launch, our priority has been and continues to be to fix the app,” CEO Patrick Spence said in a statement. “Despite our failures, we first deeply understood how we got here and then moved to put those learnings into action. We are committed to making changes to return to being the brand people love by providing the best audio systems.”