We need to know that B&N is listening.

[AnnieVan]

I think that B&N really needs to step it up to address customer concerns about the future availability of apps on the Nook Tablet. I too am frustrated that the boards have gone from a very helpful kind of "community" to nothing but complaint after complaint, but I think this is due to frustation from your customers. If we felt that some one was listening, perhaps people wouldn't feel the need to keep airing their concerns over and over. I have searched around the message boards and see very little activity or response from "official" B&N moderators or administrators. It is frustrating to feel like our concerns or requests are falling into a black hole.

I want the Nook to succeed. It is a far superior device. My daughter has the Kindle Fire and I don't want the Fire!! The argument that it is not a tablet and that we should just be happy with the apps that come with it doesn't hold water. If it wasn't a tablet, it wouldn't have any apps, browser, etc. If we just would receive some official (and regular) feedback from someone letting us know "we are working on it"... that would be awesome. We are all on the same side!

[MarvinQ]

i agree with you.

We need to feel like we matter.

[Nom-de-Nook]

If hearing "we are working on it" would make you happy, then you don't need any official word from any BN moderator or board admin.  They are working on it,.  It says so in their marketing material.  "Thousands" of the most requested apps.

However, if you want specific apps and timelines, good luck.  I'm pretty sure that the moderators and admins here are not clued in as to what exactly is in the pipeline and when.

As far as wanting to feel you matter, you should be clear...BN is a company that expects to make money.  Just like Apple, Amazon, IBM, HP, Walmart...you matter only as much as the last dollar you spent with them and the next dollar they hope you will spend with them.  No more, no less.

[AnnieVan]

I didn't say I needed to "feel" like I matter. That was the poster after me. But customer service DOES matter which means that the customer does need to feel valued. Look at what has been going on over at Verizon over a $2 fee. They were heard and the fee was dropped. I however am a business leader and if I had that kind of attitude (our customers are only worth their potential dollars spent) to the people that I answer to, I would be out of a job! And lets face it....posting a blurb in marketing materials doesn't suffice if that is all they are doing to keep customers informed.

[flyingtoastr Scribe]

BN upper management has serious communication issues (both externally and internally), but it isn't the place for me to talk about it in a public forum.

Suffice to say, though, that they do not see these forums as a place to make any such statements. These forums appear to be, in their view, simply a place for customers to talk to each other and figure out problems with a minimum of actual BN involvement. You're not going to get any real two-way communication between actual decisionmakers and customers here, because it simply isn't the way BN runs their company.

I do try to pass as many good suggestions "upstairs" as I can, but likewise I'm just a peon and have very little influence on anything in the company. That isn't to say that customer requests don't have an effect - there's a fair bit in the NOOK Color/Tablet that came about as a direct result of customer suggestions. But don't expect any of the BN honchos to pay any real mind to specifics here.

[TelSC]

---

flyingtoastr wrote:

BN upper management has serious communication issues (both externally and internally), but it isn't the place for me to talk about it in a public forum.

Suffice to say, though, that they do not see these forums as a place to make any such statements. These forums appear to be, in their view, simply a place for customers to talk to each other and figure out problems with a minimum of actual BN involvement. You're not going to get any real two-way communication between actual decisionmakers and customers here, because it simply isn't the way BN runs their company.

I do try to pass as many good suggestions "upstairs" as I can, but likewise I'm just a peon and have very little influence on anything in the company. That isn't to say that customer requests don't have an effect - there's a fair bit in the NOOK Color/Tablet that came about as a direct result of customer suggestions. But don't expect any of the BN honchos to pay any real mind to specifics here.

---

Thanks for that, you have confirmed my suspicions.

[AnnieVan]

Thanks for the honesty. The unfortunate thing that often happens when there is no official voice is that informal leaders will establish themselves and become the unofficial voice for the company. They may send a message to customers, official or not, which may not be in sync with the company.

[mohawkx]

That's really unfortunate then, toaster.  It will be their undoing.  I was senior management fror a large company that provided a mix of product and customer service.  (Not senior, senior, but Director of a national region)

We always had customer satisfaction surveys and polled every customer who we did business with.  The results went directly to senior management and THEN filtered down to the line employees who staffed the front of the house. We were quick to adapt.   Bonuses were tied to the customer's rating score in various catagories and suggestions were always taken seriously.  Our philosophy was, The customer know's what they want.  Listen to them and Give it to them and then give them a little more.  Always attempt to exceed customer expectations.

The result was that in 1988 we had 15 outlets for our business all on the I-5 Corridor.  Currently, we have 1400 outlets throughout the world and are the largest provider of our product and services in the world.  Our competitors have either folded, scaled back or been purchased by us.

If you are selling disposable widgets then customer service doesn't matter.  If you are selling a product that people plan on using every day, then customer service is everything and success or falure hinges on your ability to respond to customer feedback quickly and in a positive manner.  As I am an investor in your company that purchases and uses your product on a daily basis, I suggest your management team get on the ball and smell the coffee. 

[roustabout]

I hope folks here won't hold it against the forum admins that they are unable to volunteer answers to a lot of these questions. 

Last April when BN wiped a bunch of devices accidentally, it became pretty clear that the poor employees here were not permitted to discuss what had happened.  Some of them, I'm sure, knew - but they were not permitted to answer questions about it. 

Several weeks later, after some prodding, one person was authorized to say "it won't happen again" - but not to say what had happened, or how a repeat had been prevented. 

The folks who administer the forums have to be very careful about not speaking for the company as regards certain kinds of questions.  I don't know where the line is, but if folks are wishing that the admins could speak to things like future development plans, well, they can't. 

And BN has decided that no one else will make any but the most general statements, either, which is indeed frustrating. 

[mohawkx]

Additionally, each nook sold shoud have a customer survey card in the packaging, postage paid, with a 5.00 gift certificate for filling it out and sent directly to a B&N employee that has their office in the same floor as the senior, operations management team.  You need immediate and direct feedback on a product that is so critical to the company's future.

[Nom-de-Nook]

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mohawkx wrote:

Additionally, each nook sold shoud have a customer survey card in the packaging, postage paid, with a 5.00 gift certificate for filling it out and sent directly to a B&N employee that has their office in the same floor as the senior, operations management team.  You need immediate and direct feedback on a product that is so critical to the company's future.

---

Agreed except they should just have it be an app on the home screen that the customers uses once and it then deletes itself.  It would make it easier to aggregate responses and would help establish their credibility as an e-company instead of a bricks and mortar retailer.  It should not be in the store but rather come pre-installed for one use only somehow.  It should be an easy enough app to write.

Of course the gift certificate should be good on any product, even nook-related ones.

[roustabout]

N-d-N writes of a hypothetical survey "an app on the home screen that the customers uses once and it then deletes itself."

Weeellll  Given that one of the strengths of the Nook devices is the onboard restore function that completely reimages the device, I could easily see folks stuffing the ballot box a few times before returning their NT

[mohawkx]

And since I'm on a roll I might as well drop the other shoe.

Give me 90 days in the B&N management organization and I would impliment the following.

1.  Immediately provide a customer questionaire in all nook packaging with the afore mentioned 5.00 gift cert for filling it out.

2.  Hire an admin whose office was next to mine and their sole job would be collating these customer responses.

3.  A summary of the customer service responses would be read at every senior operations staff meetings daily.  Discussions and solutions would be manditory.

4.  Store management's performance reviews and bonuses would be tied to their customer satisfaction scores.

5.  Institute a "Nook Academy".  Individuals Hired as nook techs at each B&N store would be required to complete a comprehensive nook tablet/customer service training course on line.  The course would emphasize core company values, customer service training and technical aspects of each device that B&N sells.

6. De-emphasize the concept of "If you don't like it, your only option is to bring it back". and target the concept of "If you have a problem, we WILL fix it."

7.  Hammer home to senior management that we are not just selling Books.  We are selling a product that is also a service which requires a larger emphisis on SERVICE than product.  When you sell a book, the consumer already knows they want it and once the sale is complete, the transaction is over.  Nobody returns a book once they purchase it.  When you sell a nook, the responsibility of the seller is ongoing and the follow up service will either make or break the company.

I could go on, but that's more than enough for now. 

[Nooksie]

---

Nom-de-Nook wrote:

If hearing "we are working on it" would make you happy, then you don't need any official word from any BN moderator or board admin.  They are working on it,.  It says so in their marketing material.  "Thousands" of the most requested apps.

However, if you want specific apps and timelines, good luck.  I'm pretty sure that the moderators and admins here are not clued in as to what exactly is in the pipeline and when.

As far as wanting to feel you matter, you should be clear...BN is a company that expects to make money.  Just like Apple, Amazon, IBM, HP, Walmart...you matter only as much as the last dollar you spent with them and the next dollar they hope you will spend with them.  No more, no less.

---

  OUCH!

Well, yes, I suppose you speak the truth but I like to pretend there is a heart in the board of dorectors somewhere. 

I Love My NookC.  It has improved my life tremendously.  Now I also have a KindleFire (given to me by the same very generous niece) and my options have doubled.  I have bought books from both B&N and Amazon since I received the Fire and will continue since I was able to load programs on both devices to read each other's books.  I

t would be a total bummer if B&N were not to succeed far into the future.  We NEED book stores to go to.  We need options when it comes to buying. 

[DeanGibson Distinguished Bibliophile]

---

flyingtoastr wrote:

BN upper management has serious communication issues...

Suffice to say, though, that they do not see these forums as a place to make any such statements.

---

Sadly, wasn't it last April when B&N posted some communication to customers on their Facebook page, but not here?

[flyingtoastr Scribe]

---

TelSC wrote:

Thanks for that, you have confirmed my suspicions.

---

I need to emphasize once again that this is solely how I see things, not not indicative of the "official" views of Barnes and Noble, it's affiliates, or subsidiaries.

However, I think it's fairly clear that Alex (as swell a job as he does on these forums) is really just a glorified forum moderator - here's here to keep the discussions within the TOU, help with some customer service issues, and escalate general customer requests to his higher ups - not to make any statements from the company. And, sadly, Alex is the extent of BN's official involvement on these forums.

BN is still a "press release" company. There's no developer blog (the official "NOOK blog" being little more than another avenue for advertising) and no developer interaction, and almost any "announcement" done by the company is still filed through the usual press release channels. There's little in the way of communication with customers through official channels, for instance, we have no idea what is coming in a software update until the day it is pushed. A lot of it has to stem from the executive officers of BN, nearly all of which have been with the company for decades. They know how to run a retail store chain fairly well, but they're out of their element with NOOK - selling a service. I think eventually as more and more younger officers come into the company things will change from the way the company is now (petrified of "leaks" and trying to keep as much as possible under wraps), and I see some hopeful signs to that end, but right now it just isn't in the picture.

Again, repeating the caveat that this is solely how I see things, not not indicative of the "official" views of Barnes and Noble, it's affiliates, or subsidiaries.

[Nom-de-Nook]

---

roustabout wrote:

N-d-N writes of a hypothetical survey "an app on the home screen that the customers uses once and it then deletes itself."

Weeellll  Given that one of the strengths of the Nook devices is the onboard restore function that completely reimages the device, I could easily see folks stuffing the ballot box a few times before returning their NT

---

Sure there are always people trying to game the system.  There would be ways to stop that such as the app can't be used until after 14 days from registration, gift certficates will be mailed and only one per device (device serial number being sent as part of the survey)...

I don't think you would have to do too much to discourage cheating since it is only $5 but who knows.  There are smarter people than me who could figure out how to make it work

[patgolfneb]

Mohawk, I like your ideas. BN is clearly looking at other firms and trying to adopt some of their practices without the same culture and experience. Instead the attitudes aquired as a bookseller are causing them some problems. Of course the bricks and mortar store issues, in a changing sales model world, may have them fighting fires. I am sure they know ebook growth will continue. Finding new revenue sorces in the stores especially when customer assistance is a big draw and the knee jerk response is to cut staffing, even though damaging in the long run, may be distorting decision making. I wonder given revenue issues in the stores protecting cash flow has been the focus, not customer service.

[flyingtoastr Scribe]

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patgolfneb wrote:
 I wonder given revenue issues in the stores the focus on protecting cash flow has been the focus, not customer service.

---

#1 easiest way to raise profits for any company is to cut payroll...

[raqball]

Nice thread, thanks OP.. I think B&N spoke loud and clear with the 1.4.1 update.. They did not speak in words but the update makes it very clear in my mind of their intentions going forward. I'm not so sure we will ever hear from B&N on these forums as one mistanken word, not cleared by a band of lawyers, would / could cause havoic.. I do thnk it would be nice to know what apps are on the way and it would be great to know of software bug fixes are in the works..