Sonos CEO Patrick Spence’s Strategy to Rebuild Consumer Trust and Strengthen the Brand

SANTA BARBRA, CA – Sonos, a company renowned for its innovation in home audio, has faced one of the toughest challenges in its history.

The May 2024 release of its overhauled app was met with overwhelming negativity, shaking the trust of its loyal customer base. Take this thread on Reddit, for instance. Bugs, missing features, and reduced functionality all contributed to a wave of discontent that left the company reeling.

Now, Sonos’ leadership team, led by CEO Patrick Spence, is engineering a new course to rebuild customer confidence and re-establish the brand’s reputation by taking ownership of the failures.

Talking to Greg Bensinger of Reuters Spence said, “We’re not going to relent on this until we’re satisfied.”

This situation underscores the delicate balance between innovation and maintaining trust in a hyper-connected market, where customer expectations are higher than ever.

Sonos' Path to Redemption: Leadership Accountability

At the heart of Sonos' recovery plan is direct accountability from its leadership. CEO Patrick Spence and his executive team will forgo their annual bonuses unless the company meets key objectives around improving the customer experience and restoring consumer trust. While this gesture may seem small, given the high wage brackets of these executives, it represents a tangible commitment to putting things right.

As highlighted by Harvard Business Review, visible leadership accountability is crucial before a crisis, but even more vital in rebuilding trust during corporate crises.

Internally, the company has embarked on a thorough analysis of its software development practices and corporate culture, aiming to identify how things went so wrong. Sonos has introduced a new "quality ombudsperson" role, and announced it directly to consumers on their Sonos Community page.

This role ensures that concerns about product development can be escalated and addressed before any future launches. They will report directly to the board, providing a vital check on quality and ensuring the same mistakes are not repeated.

How Sonos is Winning Back Customer Trust

Externally, Sonos is focusing heavily on restoring customer trust with a number of initiatives designed to reassure its consumer base. A significant first step is extending the hardware warranty for recent purchases by an additional year, giving customers peace of mind while Sonos works through its challenges. By taking this measure, Sonos signals an ongoing commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, Sonos is rolling out a revamped product development process. In a notable shift, all new hardware and software will undergo a more stringent testing phase, including a broader range of customer setups and a longer beta testing period.

Of course, considering issues of security and bugs, why this wasn't the case already. But, consider the fierce competition from other luxury audio brands. Bose's QuiteComfort Ultra release along with great app functionality, whispers of Dyson's release of their OnTrac headphones. Then the app, then a few weeks later Sonos' Ace headphones release meeting underwhelming reviews – it's been a tough 2024 for Sonos.

But with this longer testing phase, this allows the brand to identify and resolve potential issues before a full release, ensuring a smoother user experience going forward. CEO Patrick Spence has acknowledged that the rushed rollout of the app was a mistake. It was so bad, that the basics like queue management, local library support, alarms, and accessibility  were either absent or broken. Spence admitted that Sonos should have introduced the new software as a beta, keeping the older version in place until both were brought to parity.

Perhaps the most crucial element of the recovery plan is the gradual release of future updates. Rather than issuing major changes all at once, Sonos will allow customers to opt into new features, gather feedback, and adjust before full implementation. This strategy is grounded in customer collaboration and aims to boost trust and customer engagement during product innovation.

Internal Shifts and Sonos' Road Ahead

The internal dynamics at Sonos have shifted as well. Reports have surfaced that during the development of the app, some employees raised concerns about the project’s direction, only to have their warnings ignored.

The introduction of the ombudsperson role is designed to prevent such scenarios from occurring again, ensuring that employee concerns are heard and acted upon. However, in the aftermath of the app’s failure, morale has taken a hit within the company, with some pointing fingers at Maxime Bouvat-Merlin, the Chief Product Officer. Despite this internal friction, Sonos leadership, including Chief Strategy Officer Eddie Lazarus, has confirmed that no changes will be made to the product division.

The repercussions of the app debacle have already led to the layoff of 100 employees in August, including key roles in software quality and marketing. These layoffs are a stark reminder of the real-world consequences of leadership missteps. However, it seems Sonos is actively working to realign the company’s culture with a renewed focus on quality and customer trust.

Sonos and Innovation

Despite the challenges, Sonos is not abandoning its innovation roadmap. In the coming months, the company plans to release several new products, including the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4, showcasing cutting-edge transducer technology developed by Mayht, a startup Sonos acquired in 2022. These products are expected to deliver a significantly enhanced audio experience, a reminder of Sonos’ core strength in the audio space.

Right now, Spence assures consumers that more than 80% of the missing features have already been restored, and the company expects to reach 100% in the coming weeks.

The Sonos case is a clear reminder that leadership during a crisis is about more than just fixing the immediate problem—it’s about taking ownership and transforming internal culture to prevent future bumps in the road.

Whatever industry we are from, our customers’ trust is our most valuable asset. Sonos here is demonstrating that regaining that trust requires transparency, accountability, and an unwavering focus on their experience.

By directly involving your leadership team in measurable outcomes, much like Sonos has done, you signal to both your customers and your organisation that you’re serious about real change. But that real change can take place before a crisis as part of an ongoing strategy to remain relevant and build brad love.

Engaging your consumers more in the development process is a great way to ensuring their voices are heard and will foster long-term loyalty. Crises happen—but how you lead through them will define your leadership and brand’s legacy long after you retire.