Cost/Benefit Analysis for Customer Hot Topics

It gets old quick reading thread after thread on two hot topics that many customers complain about: Outdoor cameras and Monitoring Cancellation Policy.

For full disclosure up front, I am a loyal, happy SimpliSafe customer since late March 2012, have a 53 piece SS3 system and have personally placed approximately 44 systems. And, yes, at least 40 are still in use (some SS2 systems) and all are satisfied customers.  (If they are not, I hear about it for sure...). When I do run into an issue, SS addresses it....albeit sometimes I have to add the word "eventually" for myself or a friend/neighbor/family member etc.

Now back to those two hot topics. Outdoor cameras. My 2 outdoor cameras work fine (Original and Series 2. The series 2 works better. Much better. My daughter's one original OD camera?  It got to the point an elephant could be in view and it wouldn't work. Called support, I troubleshoot with support, go to level 2 and...tada, they ship a Series 2 model as a replacement.  My daughter is now merrily watching fox, possums and whatever wildlife crosses her back yard based upon the settings she wants. (No thank you, just want the person trying to rob the house but it's a personal choice. Series 2, yay.

How much does SimpliSafe spend on the original camera vs Series 2 in support? i don't but sure hope they do, and if SS doesn't know, they should find out yesterday. And customers with Series 2 cameras are potentially Active Guard customers.

This is where the marketing/product manager team comes in.  Strategically get those original OD cameras out of the field. Pricing; product; promotion...yeah, dust off the 4 Ps and get on it. You did it replacing SS2 systems, you can do it with the OD cameras.

Next up: Cancellation policy. This one really burns my buns. If you can click to sign up,  you must be able to click to cancel if you want....but not me. Remember, loyal, happy customer?  You are a security company for good's sake!!! Act like one (not like ADT btw)  Any idiot knows your (and all others like it) is not a "Loyalty Dept". It is a retention dept. Ask any Comcast/Xfinity, ADT, Sirius Radio or Chicago Tribune customer, no matter how you market it, its a retention dept. Period.  Embrace "click to cancel" for those that want it. But for those vast majority of satisifed customers, offer, for an additional small charge, a monitoring service "lock" where you are assigned and must provide a live agent a six digit security code to do anything and everything to cancel your service.  I would sign up in a heart beat.

Finally, stop hiding your associates.  They are great.  They are a strength. Leverage the hell out of it with online, live webinars here in the community.  Use multiple platforms like FaceBook, X, Instagram whatever.

SimpliSafe, the best in the industry.  Getting better but....please stop the bleeding in these two and other areas. If my system works like a Timex (yeah I'm old and the vast majority of those that are reading this are scratching their heads.) why are others having major issues? It is your responsibility as a customer oriented company to find out...and fix it.

Live ling and prosper.