Ratta Supernote Customer Service Culture

Warning, this is a lengthy post, but this topic really struck a nerve. As someone who was in the customer service space for over 25 years (more depending on some definitions), I have had a difficult time watching the descent of the discussion on Reddit in the Supernote community. What used to be a place for serious discussion and support, both by community members and the company, has devolved into a constant barrage of hate, vitriol, and drama.

Don't get me wrong, Ratta is not perfect as a company, and I have been a leading proponent of them not being as restrictive on comments about other competitors. While I recognize their right to do so, I just think it's a bad look from a public relations perspective. Additionally, the delays surrounding the A5X2 and the decision to reduce transparency has caused even more angst. Acknowledging all of that, there is something even more insidious at play here.

First, we need to examine what started this firestorm. In October, Ratta released a letter titled "We’re Closer to the Carrot” on Reddit.

Wait, we must go back further. The letter was a direct response to a daily, and in some cases hourly, barrage of posts asking over and over when the A5X2 would be released. In fairness, the release was delayed multiple times. However, only in a world of entitled social media driven craziness is daily harassment ok.

Alright, now back to the letter. Everyone may have different interpretations of what Ralta was saying, but here are my thoughts:

• Sorrow for Upsetting Customers – Ratta begins the letter saying that the concerns and disappointment of their customer base, reflected in the Reddit community, were what they were most sorry for. They also reinforced that they had no intention of misleading their customers.
• Overly Aggressive Timeline – Ratta expressed that they missed deadlines, partially through supply chain issues, but also in being overly aggressive around design challenges and software development.
• Shift in Direction - Ratta, who had been one of the most (if not the most) transparent companies in the space, recognized that sharing too much information can lead to a sense of heightened expectations and disappointment when those expectations are not met. Consequently, the company said communication would be significantly reduced.
• A New Determination – Ratta mentioned the Chinese holiday and that they were going to forego preorders and skip to full production-to release the A5X2 by the end of the year.

There was obviously more to the letter, but to me, those were the highlights. I would encourage you to read it and share your own interpretation.

It's important to realize what was also happening at the time in the market. Onyx Boox had released the GO 10.3 and reMarkable had just released the Paper Pro. Supernote was effectively the only key player without a 10" or larger device for sale. Combine that with the daily posts asking about timelines, and the company had to say something.

Unfortunately, the letter did not stop the consistent flow of people asking, and forcing the community and Ratta to respond to the same question in different variations: "When is the A5X2 coming out and should I wait?" As a user it was and is fatiguing to me, even more so I would assume to the Supernote team. I can't imagine being a brand who had been applauded and celebrated one day and then having it completely turn around in such a short period of time. The environment became so toxic that the Chief Chat Officer (hex2asc) sent out a flurry of posts on Reddit to try to explain the delays and even defend why they were removing combative posts:

• Will There be an A5 Slim? 
• This subreddit is a dictatorship (response 1)
• This subreddit is a dictatorship (response 2)

I encourage you to read all of hex2asc’s comments here:

https://www.reddit.com/user/hex2asc/comments/

So, what happened next? Did things get better? No. Instead, the posts not only focused on should you buy a Supernote, but what other products you should buy instead. Ratta is clear in the community guidelines that promoting other competitors or their features is not acceptable. I disagree, but the level and trashing of Supernote was getting out of hand. Additionally, there are other communities for that discussion. The response from Ratta was to begin to aggressively enforce the existing rules, which led to even more anger and frustration. Then the FCC filings were leaked and everyone was talking again, with even Ratta providing more information:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Supernote/comments/1g09ie2/a5x2_revealed_by_fcc/

Fast forward to now and the environment is so tense that a moderator (Mulan-sn), who has been reliably helpful over the years, is being openly attacked for a response many took as sarcastic. The original post and response are quoted below, as well as the link to the full Reddit thread:

Original Post

I think that if the Ratta company is not able to sell the A5X2 for Christmas purchases and gifts, it means that they have serious problems that do not simply concern supplying and filling their warehouse.

This makes me fear. Are there problems regarding the solidity of the Ratta company for the future? By purchasing a device now is there a risk that in a few years the company will no longer exist?

I am not saying that this will be the case, but I am starting to have this concern.

I hope that the future of Supernote is very positive. I love their products even if I have not had the chance to buy an e-ink device yet and I've been waiting for the release of A5X2 for almost a year.

ps.

(I would prefer to write "concern for the future" but I can't change the title anymore)

Response

We are truly touched by the genuine concern expressed by a "potential user" who has yet to purchase any of our products. We also hope to see their post when our users start sharing their use experience with A5 X2 in the near future.

Full Thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Supernote/comments/1h4uu62/fears_for_the_future/

Now, to be perfectly clear, I am not saying that there wasn’t sarcasm here for sure, but I encourage you to look at Mulan-sn’s comment history and you will see that they are extremely helpful and willing to engage. As someone who has interacted with this community for over 3.5 years, I will tell you that I believe this was a genuine response. Was it worded in a way that could be misinterpreted, yes. However, reading tone into a Reddit comment is difficult to say the least. Here is my interpretation of how I read it:

We appreciate this real concern expressed by a potential user who is considering purchasing our products. We also hope to see your post when users start sharing their experiences with the A5X2 soon.

Again, had I written it, it may have gone something like that. However, I am a native English speaker and have been doing this a long time. I also believe that anyone, especially in customer service, can be caught on a bad day, it happens. Hex2asc even responded with the question of why the original poster had waited an entire year with the moving timeline. Even in that response, they use the phrase “insisted on waiting” and another user pointed out that the right choice of words may have been “why have you been waiting.” I am not going to go too deeply into language barriers and communications, but sometimes we do need to stop assuming the negative.

Alright, well I appreciate you reading this to the end, but it was something I felt needed to be said. As someone who has been cursed at, and at times physically threatened by customers, I am always perhaps too forgiving and lenient when it comes to mistakes, or the perception thereof. While I believe there were some made here, the overarching toxicity of the Reddit thread is disappointing. If you have time, I challenge you to read even a sampling of the comments by the company employees to users, helping them with everything from real-time troubleshooting through DM’s, creating specialized “on the fly” video tutorials, and just being present and attentive to questions. If you do, let me know your thoughts. Does this sound like a company that is trying to abuse current and potential customers? And finally, take a moment to think about how you might respond to this level of scrutiny.

Until next time, stay safe and keep moving forward.