Prioritizing customer satisfaction is a given in business. Successful companies strive to make sure customers are satisfied. They do not purposely try to alienate them. But satisfaction is not always as high as companies would like it to be. Consider the home automation industry.
Data from early 2024 reveals that 97% of smart home device owners are at least somewhat satisfied with their equipment. While this is generally a positive data point, it does raise two red flags:
- 97% isn’t 100%, so not everyone is fully on board; and
- Being ‘somewhat’ satisfied is a far cry from being ‘fully satisfied.’
There is plenty about modern home automation to get excited about. But there are also things that make people unhappy. Fix those things and the industry improves customer satisfaction. As a user, here are some things I think would guarantee a measurable improvement:
1. A Default Connectivity Standard
At the top of my list is a default connectivity standard. Right now, smart home devices connect through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, and a few others. Different connectivity standards lead to compatibility issues among devices. But standardize connectivity in the same way USB standardized computer peripherals and you eliminate a lot of headaches.
The Matter protocol was supposed to do just that. But Matter acts as an application layer on top of other technologies. It isn’t a true connectivity standard on its own. So compatibility issues remain.
2. Universal Device Compatibility
A default connectivity standard is only as valuable as the devices that utilize it. With that being the case, the best way to optimize something like Matter is to come up with universal device compatibility. What would this look like? Any smart home device could be used within any smart home ecosystem.
Companies like Google and Amazon could continue developing their own ecosystems to offer features competitors don’t offer. This is how they would compete. They could do so while still allowing users to install devices from other ecosystems. Home automation does not have to be ecosystem dependent to be profitable.
3. Less Data Harvesting
Next up is less data harvesting. Smart home providers can find ways of raising revenue that don’t require harvesting reams of data and selling it to whoever is willing to pay for it. Data does not have to be the commodity that runs home automation.
Plenty of other industries thrive without harvesting and selling data. They provide quality services and products that people are willing to pay for. Those services and products form the foundation of company revenue. Home automation can do the same thing.
4. More Open-Source Options
DIY home automation is dominated by Google, Amazon, and Apple. On the professional side of things, Vivint.com is typical of those providers known for professionally installed and monitored systems. In both arenas, more open-source options would be welcome. Open-source platforms and apps give customers more choices. They also invite competition that allows new players into the home automation space.
Open source struggled to get a foothold when it first burst onto the scene years ago. But over the years it has gained respect and popularity. There is no reason open source cannot play a larger role in driving the future of home automation.
The home automation industry does a decent job at maintaining customer satisfaction. But there is always room for improvement. Accomplishing just these four things would make me a much more satisfied user. What’s more, I can’t believe I am alone in my thinking. Improved customer satisfaction is all about removing the barriers that consumers find so frustrating right now.
