The Hey abby Team - September 12, 2023

Hey abby's NPS: Testament to Customer Satisfaction

Background

Hey abby has been on the market for just over a year, and it is the first time we are looking into our customer satisfaction score via the Net Promoter Score (NPS) tool. By doing this, we will have a benchmark as of Sep, 2023 and keep tracking our progress.

The survey has been sent via our APP (IOS/Android) to ensure only active growers can participate. Remarkably, we received feedback from 16% of our active growers, which is an EXTREMLY high rate, given that the typical survey collection rate via the app hovers around 5%. This high response rate shows our growers' genuine interest in product improvement and their active engagement in product development.

What is NPS?

NPS is calculated based on one simple question: "On a scale of 0-10, how likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague?" Based on the number a customer selects, they are placed into the following categories:

- Promoters: Those who give a score between 9-10.

- Passives: Those who give a score between 7-8.

- Detractors: Those who give a score between 0-6.

NPS = % promoters – % detractors

Simple and elegant, right?

What about Hey abby's Score?

Normally, a NPS score of 50 is considered excellent, and 85 is regarded as "world class." As we are still new to the market and there are many areas in need of improvement, our initial expectation was around 30-40. However, the results have exceeded our expectations by a significant margin!

Our final NPS stands at 51, with 53.2% of growers awarding us a perfect score of 10. We believe the abundance of top scores can be attributed to the active participation of many growers in our product development process. They see the Hey abby project as their own, which reinforces our commitment to continually engage with our community and create better products.

Here is a reference chart showing where we are:

*Note: The chart is derived from data provided by Hubspot and Idiomatic.

Must-Know Facts about Hey abby

1. Yield

The yield is one of the most frequently asked questions, and we're thrilled to share that we now have solid data directly from our actual growers.

We are pleased with the results: approximately 10% of Hey abby growers are achieving an impressive yield of 6 ounces or more of dried flowers, while most growers can obtain 3-4 ounces, which is an excellent outcome for first-time growers. 

Key Insights: We'll enhance the content of our tutorials to ensure that all growers, especially those yielding under 3 ounces, have access to comprehensive information that can help them achieve better yields.

2. Age Distribution

Hey abby's growers extends across all age groups, indicating that growing can be a fulfilling lifelong pursuit. At the same time, we face a significant challenge in designing a product that caters to the habits and preferences of users from various age groups.

Key Insights: We need to carefully design the UI to cater to users across all age groups. As a specific step, we asked the UI team to prioritize the use of text buttons over icons to ensure that the actions' precise meanings are conveyed explicitly and avoid possible confusion. And we have exciting plans for further improvements in the future.

3. Growing Cycles

Given that we've been in the market for only 1 year, and considering each growth cycle takes 3-4 months, our survey indicates that only 25% of growers have completed more than two cycles. This suggests that 75% of the growers are either in their first grow or have yet to start their second cycle.

Key Insights: A significant majority of Hey abby users are relatively new to our product. This underscores the importance of providing ongoing support, guidance, and engagement to ensure their success in subsequent grows.

Top 5 Motivations of Purchasing Hey abby

We asked our growers why they should choose "Hey abby" and analyzed their responses. Using our analysis tool, we identified 82 keywords and grouped similar ones together. Here are the top 5 motivations from our grower's community.

1. Learn to Grow

This is the dominating drive, showing people have a strong desire to grow cannabis, and they view Hey abby as a tool to both learn and practice this hobby.

We are delighted to see that our long-term goal has aligned with the demand from growers. We understand that growing is not just about the final buds; it represents a lifestyle that we take pride in. Our APP team is currently working on the grow journal module, aiming to create an all-in-one platform for growing, logging, and sharing. To dive deeper into this exciting new feature, be sure to check out our previous article for more details.

2. Convenience

The ease, simplicity, and self-contained nature of the Hey abby indoor grow system is a significant draw for many users.

We take pride in the fact that Hey abby eliminates 80% of the tedious tasks, allowing growers to concentrate on the most crucial aspects of cultivation. Our latest addition to the APP, the automatic Grow Log, takes convenience in growing to new heights.

3. Save Money/Cut Costs

Users see Hey abby as a cost-effective solution, compared to both purchasing cannabis and other similar cultivation setups.

To build a sophisticated grow system like Hey abby and achieve mass production is no small feat. Some of our community members, including one who's a product manager, have planned to launch a similar product and estimated its MSRP to be $3,000. Their projection wasn't off the mark. If we look around, automated grow boxes, whether actual products or just concepts, often come with a hefty price tag.

However, leveraging our expertise in supply chain management and product design, in 2022, our OG edition became the first to break the trend, priced under $1,000. Then, in 2023, our 420 edition pushed the envelope further, making automated cultivation more accessible than ever.

We'll remain dedicated to refining our supply chain, optimizing shipping, and enhancing the content of our tutorials to ensure maximum yield. Our goal is to provide a quick return on investment for our community of growers, whether they are cultivating for recreational or medical purposes, especially in the current economic climate.

4. Stealth/Discretion

Outer Packaging for the Hey abby Grow Box

The ability to grow discreetly without drawing attention is a key selling point for some users.

We recognize that discretion and privacy are paramount to our growers. In addition to the discreet design, we've also adopted the child lock (app lock), odor-proof features, and even discreet packaging. With this added layer of privacy, you no longer have to be concerned about curious neighbors.

5. Constant Stability/Efficiency

Growers appreciate the growth cycle efficiency and the stable growing environment that Hey abby's grow kit provides.

In H2 2023 and H1 2024, we plan to refine the Pro mode, scenes, and data charts to further enhance the stability of each growth phase.

Top 5 Concerns from Hey abby Growers

We also analyzed feedback from growers who rated Hey abby with 0-6 points and identified the TOP 5 concerns they expressed:

1. APP

We recognized in 2022 that our APP, especially the Android version, didn't offer the best user experience. No one had ever developed a similar app before, and we had to build ours from scratch. Even after hiring two highly experienced product managers from top apps, the final product didn't quite meet our growers' expectations, due to differences in industry standards.

However, starting in 2023, the founder took personal charge of the APP's design and development. Since then, over 10 updates have been rolled out, introducing a slew of new features and bug fixes. The hey abby APP now boasts over 300 pages covering the entire growing journey, multiple device management capabilities, and an active community.

We recognize that there are still occasional glitches, but the team is committed to continuously enhancing the user experience. We're also expanding our APP team to better address ongoing demands.

2. Price

We understand that given the current economy, making a one-time payment for the OG or even the 420 Edtion can be challenging, especially for the younger generation.

In Q4 2022, we introduced BreadPay, which offers 18 months at 0% APR financing. Since its introduction, about 30% of our growers have opted to purchase Hey abby through BreadPay. This option allows them to start growing immediately and pay over time, which has helped many people save on flower purchases.

In addition to that, we've introduced a flexible gift card system, allowing users to stack multiple gift cards and pre-paid cards for a single purchase.

For veteran growers, we will offer discounts on Memorial day and Veteran's day.

The team will continue to explore more ways to support the community and medical patients. We welcome non-profit organizations to collaborate with us on this initiative.

3. Plant Capacity

Many growers wonder why Hey abby grow boxes accomodate only one plant. We've answered this question within our Discord community: the primary reason is the device's size.

Hey abby is already just slightly smaller than an "oversized item." Expanding it would make it heavier, and difficult to manage, which could lead to significant shipping cost penalties. This could significantly raise costs for growers, perhaps even tripling them. As such, a design featuring one plant, a compact size, and a high yield offers a balanced approach.

Since we launched the APP 2.8 version, users can now manage multiple grow boxes within a single APP account.

After speaking with many growers, we realized that many growers desire MORE: more plants, more space, and eventually more freedom and possiblities. With that spirit in mind, we're exploring the possibility of a stackable design. Creating a stackable and modular design can be challenging, but we'll be seeking plenty of input from the community as we develop it. We anticipate having a workable prototype by 2024 and aim for mass production in 2025, assuming all goes well.

4. After Sales Service

Hey abby's Trustpilot Rating

On Trustpilot, one of the most reputable review platforms, we received 77% 5-star reviews, which is commendable. However, we've also received 11% low ratings, indicating some inconsistencies in our service. These discrepancies can be attributed to several factors:

- Multiple Communication Channels: Our customers reach out to us through various platforms, including email, APP, social media, SMS, and Discord. The challenge arises when different team members handle the same cases across these channels, leading to inconsistent responses.

- Knowledge Gaps: Our support team needs expertise in hardware, software, and growing processes. The challenge is amplified as our internal training isn't comprehensive.

- Limited Support Documentation: Our existing support materials aren't centralized and can be challenging for users to navigate.

Despite these challenges, every team member genuinely wants to provide the best support; they just need the right tools. In Q2 2023, we adopted a robust service platform integrates all incoming messages into a single system (Discord is seperate from this).

Additionally, we've developed an extensive Help Center that's continually updated. Each week, it identifies topics that users search for but find no answers to, allowing us to add our content accordingly. Currently, our articles and automated responses fulfilled 70% of inquiries. We've also trained an AI using this help center and website data, and with daily input from our support team, this AI now aids in 5% of our conversations. (you can always talk to a team member if you are not happy with the AI and your feedback is making it better.) Currently, its resolution rate is over 60%, a notably high figure within the industry.

As a result of the above improvements, our first response time has reduced by 60%, and we aim to decrease it by another 60% by the year's end.

For internal training, we've set high standards. All new hires must pass a comprehensive test before they begin to take their roles.

Growing is a lifelong journey, and so is our bond with our growers. We pledge to continually improve our service quality, reach, and consistency in supporting the community. Lastly, a heartfelt THANK YOU to our mod team and harvesters for guiding thousands of new growers on their journey.

5. Quality of Fertilizer

In the 2022 version of our fertilizer, there were some issues related to caking and melting. We estimated that around 10% of our growers experienced these issues. Since then, we've updated the packaging and improved its anti-caking feature, all while maintaining convenience and high density.

Over the past six months, we've received very few complaints about the new pre-mixed fertilizers. However, if you still have the 2022 version and find them unusable, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We'll gladly provide you with free replacements of the new and improved fertilizer.

Final Words

We spent a substantial amount of time in reviewing each survey and conducting in-depth analysis. The results affirm that we are unquestionably moving in the right direction. Having faith in the power of our community and establishing our presence within it have proven to be the best things we ever done.

Many of our team members previously worked in large firms, where they were often consumed by endless meetings, internal debates, and PPTs, having very little opportunity to interact with real communities.

Now, we can make changes fast, and fearlessly. There's no need to overanalyze, hire a consulting firm, or sift through industry reports. Faced with every decision we make, we can confidently say, "Because our growers wanted it!"

Thank you for all your love and support. We hope we can continue this journey with you for a long time to come.

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