{{B}}Midnight Apps Had Failed{{/B}}
A small little application called Cha-Ching, developed by Midnight Apps, was offering licenses for its next version in the Macheist bundle. Users would be invited to beta test the next version of Cha-Ching if they bought the bundle and all was glorious.
Unfortunately, what happened was a complete failure of Midnight App's communication strategy for the application. It really starts with this thread on the Macheist forums. While the developer did respond in this forum, you can sense the frustration stemming from a lack of progress updates from the developers. In fact, in the thread where people are wondering where the beta application is, the conversation starts to turn against the company.
The conversation gets so heated, that users begin recommending other applications. One forum poster takes a stab at Midnight Apps by recommending Moneywell: the reason given-- "developers are committed". The commentator "rookie" even goes so far as to say "So I take it, we've given up on ever seeing Cha-Ching 2.0?" This hostility then pours out to their own forum where people post threads like this one. Midnight Apps had failed to meet their promise of a beta, and then failed to communicate why. The users were revolting, but they weren't just angry, they started recommending other products.
So why did many of the forum users recommend Moneywell? What was the difference?
Communication is the only way
The answer was quite simple.Kevin Hoctor, the developer of Moneywell, is a master of support and communication. You can take one quick glance at nearly every single post on the Moneywell user forums and see that Kevin is involved in nearly every one. This approach constrains his time and his resources, but the man is still able to release builds and fixes. While Moneywell is not updated weekly, his customers feel confident in their software choice. This is what lead disenchanted Cha-Ching users to point others in his direction, and his communication efforts explain one of the modem tenants of good business and why Midnight Apps created a mess for themselves. Steady communication builds steady/loyal customers
Communication, and a steady channel of communication, is what turns a good company into a fantastic company. It is one of the key tenants of modem web applications, where the principle concept is "ask the users" . People feel more invested in their software, their design and their website if they are constantly reminded of your awareness of them.
There are always exceptions to the communication rule, and there are instances of constant user feedback ruining communication. However, most websites, software, and pretty much any consumer/business relationship benefits from having a steady stream of updates. It builds consumer trust and lets the user know their co-existence with your product is valid.
There is a happy ending to this story
The great news is that Midnight Apps realized their stream of non-communication was not worth the productivity time it gave them. They could generate more users and carve out more interest in their application by opening themselves up and talking about what happened. They even asked "How are we doing?" to extremely positive reviews after their communication efforts increased 100-fold. This goodwill has spread to their business and applications, as Cha-Ching for iPhone is an excellent application.
Constant communication, even if you feel like you have nothing to say, makes everyone feel involved in the process. Don't waste it just saying hello, or talking about the weather, but explain what you're doing and what's happening. Don't wait for the juicy update, give micro-updates. People will always want to know more about what's coming, but a taste of what's happening now will appease them. It doesn't take a lot of effort to send out a weekly email, but its reward is almost 1 000%. So, get on with it.
{{B}}Exercises{{/B}}