SquareOne’s Customer Feedback
Hey! I’m spending 30 days helping SquareOne take their Customer Success to the next level with engaging newsletters, FAQs, community interactions, and tech tools to make it all more efficient. This post documents my process of identifying common issues with SquareOne’s customer relations, and how I’d make the customers happier. Click here to view the full project!
I’ve scoured SquareOne’s social media to get a sense of how customers (in this case, people who backed the console on Kickstarter) feel about the company as a whole.
The recurring theme I found is that customers are unsatisfied with their communication.
I’m in no position to know what has been happening inside SquareOne’s team. They released an update talking about struggles securing the needed hardware. I don’t know if that was completely unforeseeable or not. I also don’t know if they’re on track with their original vision for a development timeline, and what issues came up that delayed them.
The questions I’m asking here are indicative of the questions customers had. There are delays when developing a product like this that are completely outside SquareOne’s control. For example, when developing a game console at scale, you can’t just grab PC components from Newegg when your main supplier is having delays.
What you can do is manage expectations.
Even reminders of what is delaying the process could be useful. In a recent announcement, SquareOne revealed that they will be using newer CPUs and GPUs in the latest iteration of the console, which will be available in September 2021. New hardware is a great example of something people are willing to wait for.
What they handled well
In mid-July, SquareOne announced that their latest iteration of the console would include much-requested features, such as the latest CPU/GPU hardware, and optional battery, etc. Two weeks later they gave an update saying that they were struggling to secure the needed hardware from their manufacturers, but that “We are keeping pressure on our suppliers by holding weekly meetings to monitor progress and ensure we are moving as quickly as possible. We will keep you informed of updates at this level.”
Great. Customers won’t be glad to hear the news, but they can only complain so much, as they know SquareOne is doing their best to get what they need to move forward.
Where SquareOne’s communication falls short
All the comments below point to one thing: backers’ expectations of being kept in the loop did not remotely match the communication/update schedule that SquareOne executed on.
I’m not in a position to criticize how long SquareOne has taken to develop the console. However, production does not continue at a great pace until one day something sets you back eight months.
It’s difficult when you feel like all you have to share is bad news. The comments below could be avoided if transparency similar to the above was practiced throughout the last year. Having said that, let’s get to responding to these customers. :)
Disclaimer #1: Many of these comments were originally in French. I’ve done my best to fix the Google Translate grammar without unduly alternating the tone or content of the comments.
Disclaimer #2: I don’t work for SquareOne and I don’t have the knowledge of their product or team to give accurate answers to customer inquiries, nor do I know their plans for the future. These are mock responses. Specific info I give is made-up.
I made three videos walking you through a slideshow that shows my process of identifying SquareOne’s communication issues and coming up with solutions.
Kickstarter
Comment:
Again, more than a month without communication. Especially with the issues this company is apparently having with hardware supplies, you would think there would be an increase in communication. This wasn’t a cheap product to back, and I think we deserve more from you.
My reply:
Hi __,
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I completely understand your frustration, as you’ve invested time and money into this project.
We apologize for the lack of communication. We’ve been working hard improving our OS, optimizing and building new games, and closely monitoring our hardware suppliers to make sure we can get you the consoles by December!
Our lack of communication is something we’re changing right now. We’ve created a system to more thoroughly document the progress we’re making on SquareOne, and built a schedule to release posts every other week which include photos, videos, and comments from the team, to make you feel like a part of the process.
Not all the updates are exciting announcements. Most of our work is steady, incremental progress. Even so, we hope the updates will help you feel included in what we’re doing.
Best,
Noah
Comment:
I have to chime in with mr PIRIO — your communication is abysmal. Weeks and months of no communication. If there is an update coming, just tell us to expect it soon.
This is my most expensive single Kickstarter and I have almost never experienced such a letdown. All the hype and joy to play on the SquareOne that you built up during the campaign has vanished to zero — I almost forgot about this project.
That is completely the fault of your marketing and communications department — if you have any. If you don’t, better get one started.
Last thing — this is an international project with international customers. Even if my French is good enough to read those comments, others might not be so I suggest you have these translated or encourage people to stick to English. Otherwise, many more will forget about this project if they are unable to follow the discussion.
My reply:
Hey __,
Thank you for staying active in the community and for expressing your concerns with us!
We’re aware that our communication has fallen short of expectations, and are taking actions to change that. We’ve enacted a plan to document our progress and release it every other week in the form of a blog post that covers various aspects of the work we’re doing on SquareOne.
Your analysis of the French/English issue is spot on. Once again, we’re taking steps to ensure that our English-speaking supporters can easily follow our progress and engage with the community. Our updates from now on will be primarily in English.
Best,
Noah
Comment:
(In reply to the above comment) Like you, this Kickstarter is one of my most expensive. And I’m already disappointed and especially worried by the lack of communication from Wizama… Thank you for your post showing that I’m finally not the only one to think that this lack could become problematic for the future of SquareOne if it’s not already.
I translated some of my posts (thanks Google) but saw the lack of reactions from the “community”, so I stopped. But as you yourself say, it may be that this community has simply forgotten the existence of this project :’(
I hope that Wizama will wake up soon…
My reply:
Hi __,
Thank you for taking the time to comment and express your concerns to us.
As mentioned above, we’re taking steps to ensure that our communication about work on SquareOne meets and sets proper expectations. You can look forward to much more thorough documentation of our work going forward.
I appreciate you taking the effort to make your comments accessible to our English community. Going forward it’s important to us to include everyone in the conversation.
Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy our much-improved update schedule in the coming weeks.
Best,
Noah
Comment:
Hello! Is the project still in the works? Or should I ask immediately to be reimbursed???
I apologize for being so direct but for now, there has been no real communication (let’s not even talk about the few word posts released once a month…). We don’t need George LUCAS to have some videos of your hardware and software advances!
What about the developer platform for example? I did not even register given the amount of personal information requested!
What about the hardware? Do you have supply problems as is currently the case for many components?
I have a lot of questions but it’s too much to post here…
My reply:
Hey __
Thank you for reaching out. Your support means a lot and we understand that you are frustrated by the lack of communication.
We are still hard at work on SquareOne. We’re aware that our communication has disappointed our loyal backers, and are taking steps to ensure we won’t disappoint you in the future.
Going forward, you can expect updates every other week that includes pictures, videos, and comments from the team about our progress!
I will reach out to the team about the developer platform signup, to understand if anything can be done about the form, and why that info is necessary. I’ll follow up with you when I have an answer.
Acquiring hardware has been an area of delay, but we are holding weekly meetings with our suppliers to keep them accountable. We will update you guys when this is resolved or if it continues to be an area of concern.
Best,
Noah
Comment:
Yes, you promised us a monthly communication: we didn’t think it would be trivial things.
Yes, there is a new website! I’m happy for you. Maybe Wizama communication will improve now. Unfortunately, I have more and more doubts about the long-term viability of your project if 1. you still fail to communicate dynamically and 2. if it all stays closed as well :( For now, I plan to get reimbursed … I am still waiting a bit to see the evolution.
My reply:
Hi __,
Thank you for commenting. We’re glad to have you in the community.
We apologize for the lack of communications. Our communication schedule is getting a significant update so that you guys know exactly what we’re working on.
And we are working hard to improve SquareOne! These updates will show you exactly what is being improved and what you’re waiting for. We believe it’s worth the wait.
Best,
Noah
Comment:
Hello Wizama team!
We are practically in June and still no real update … it’s frustrating. You’ve technically fulfilled your promise of monthly communication but without really giving us visuals // video of games in development. Did you hire the video intern you said you were going to? Do you have videos of the games from Asmodee and Ravensburger ?? There’s also a piece you talk about in your unboxing presentation — do you have any explanations about that piece? What will it be used for?? Do you have new approaches with other game publishers??
Thank you for your reply!!
My reply:
Hey __,
Thank you for commenting and for being a part of our community.
We apologize for the lack of updates in our communications. We’re beefing up our monthly updates to include more visuals, and specific communication on what we’re working on.
We’ll do our best to share everything we can about the work we’re doing. Some of the things we’d like to show, such as games in development from Asmodee and Ravensburger, are not in our control. However, we’re reaching out to see if they can give us some teasers, as this is clearly something you guys want!
That mysterious piece is yet to be revealed. We’re making sure we can show it off in a way that’s accurate to the current iteration of SquareOne.
We’re always seeking out new publishers to work with, but our main focus at this time is adapting more of Asmodee’s huge library of excellent games.
Best,
Noah
Comment:
I hope everything goes well. Will you give us an update on the progress of the projects? It’s mid-March and we don’t have much information about the games in development and the SquareOne since the Kickstarter campaign. You must be very busy, but it would be nice to have more information, images of the games, hear more about the future store (it arrives when?), about the machine (the accessory you teased but have not yet presented), and if the delivery for December is still maintained… Hard to wait without news :-)
I wish you good luck, I’m looking forward to having SquareOne in my home.
My reply:
Hey __
We’re working hard and looking forward to getting SquareOne in your hands!
Our communication has fallen short as we’ve been caught up in the work. But we’re changing that! Our updates will come every other week now and include comments from the team, visuals, and sometimes videos.
We’re on track to deliver the console in December!
Best,
Noah
Comment:
Hello, when will the store for games be operational?
My reply:
@__ The game store will launch right before our console ships in December.
Thanks for the question!
YouTube
Comment:
Bravo for these improvements, we love seeing this stuff!
My reply:
@__ Glad to hear it. Thanks for watching!
Comment:
Very good news. I can’t wait to have it in my hands and play!
My reply:
@__ We are super excited to deliver SquareOne to you. It’ll transform the way you play board games. Thanks for watching!
Conclusion
For SquareOne, the fact that their communication is the issue and not the product is a great sign. If people were unhappy with the updates that SquareOne did release, then they’d have real concern for the popularity of their product.
Communication issues can be solved with a plan and some extra work.
One of the most successful modern fantasy authors, Brandon Sanderon, started doing weekly updates on his YouTube channel. What do these updates involve?
“I wrote several more chapters this week.”
“I completed another 7 percent of the first draft.”
People don’t need much to assuage their concerns.
I know documenting is hard. Given how early stage SquareOne is, someone on the team has to be willing to take on the responsibility of taking extra pictures and videos, and setting up game nights to do gameplay walkthroughs, etc.
But getting strong lines of communication between customer and creator will ultimately reap great rewards for SquareOne.
