Author: CH_陈函
Providing service is not easier than producing products!
The length of the video in this issue is 9 minutes. Click the playback button below to watch.
This week, something happened in the NIO community that can be called a classic case of NIO’s user reputation management.
Here’s what happened: On Monday at 10 a.m., NIO released a charging-discharging unit in the official APP and announced a rental plan. The rental price is 168 yuan per week and can be paid with points. The unit will be available for rent at various power-swap stations from the end of July to August.
Originally, it was simply a product release, but it unexpectedly caused a lot of dissatisfaction among car owners. In just a few hours, there were thousands of negative comments under the release post. The three major complaints from NIO’s users can be summarized as follows:
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Too long of a wait. Many users have been eagerly anticipating the release of the charging-discharging unit, at least since a year ago. They were excited to finally see NIO’s product on the market, but then they were told that they have to wait another 1 to 2 months to get it.
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Expensive price and rental only, not available for purchase. The price of 168 yuan per week exceeded many people’s expectations. Many people questioned why the unit can only be rented on a weekly basis and not on a daily basis, and more people questioned why it cannot be purchased outright. This is the most vocal complaint.
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Why make the charging-discharging unit as an all-in-one device? The device weighs 6.5kg, and many people questioned whether the high price and heavy weight are due to NIO’s development of an all-in-one charging-discharging unit. Many users only want the charging-discharging gun.
Upon seeing this, some friends who were deceived by online rumors might be surprised to find a fact: NIO’s users are also dissatisfied and have complaints about NIO. Surprise surprise: not all NIO owners are “loyalists”!Actually, these situations are not uncommon in the NIO user community. Problems with seat comfort, Baas battery leasing-to-purchase, and many other similar situations have occurred before. However, what sets NIO apart from other companies is the emphasis they place on user complaints, their methods for resolving issues, and their response times.
Firstly, NIO did not delete this post, nor did they delete any negative comments below it. They have always maintained an attitude of providing users with ample space to express their opinions and suggestions.
Secondly, the people in charge of this event, from product managers to senior vice presidents of energy, all responded to user complaints, demonstrating an adequate level of concern.
Finally, and most importantly, at 5:40 pm on the same day, NIO urgently initiated an “online experience salon”, essentially an online communication meeting where users were free to sign up and senior vice president of energy, Dr. Shen Fei, addressed user questions.
The communication meeting lasted from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, during which over 400 users tuned in. The greatest impression I was left with after watching the entire event was that NIO’s executives have it tough!
In front of over 400 online users, Dr. Shen Fei first introduced the highlights of the newly released charging and discharging system and then the advantages it had over other products on the market. After that, he answered user questions for nearly an hour in a row through voice communication. I have to say, allowing users to speak through voice communication rather than typing their questions was a very correct approach. At the beginning of the live stream, the comment section under the video conference was out of control, with some netizens, possibly even non-users, using very offensive language.
But as soon as people began asking questions through voice communication, you would discover an interesting phenomenon: people who are confident enough to use their voice to ask a question have a lower probability of sounding aggressive. After all, this is still a public space in a virtual world. Even if you are using an anonymous username and don’t need to show your face, you still need to be polite when using your real voice to speak. Maybe only when hiding behind the screen and tapping on the keyboard are those vicious words so easy to say out loud.
Therefore, this voice communication method provided a stable emotional guarantee for problem-solving, and throughout the entire communication meeting, Dr. Shen Fei maintained a very sincere and peaceful attitude. He also appeared on camera during the entire live stream, and through his facial expressions and tone, I believe most of the participating users could sense this sincerity too.
As for the question itself, the disagreement can be easily resolved.
Firstly, regarding the most common user complaints, Dr. Shen promised during the communication meeting that the integrated charging and discharging machine would offer a one-time buyout solution, and the price would be released either the earliest evening or the latest the next day. The price would be cost price without profit, in order to make friends rather than money.
Early yesterday morning, NIO kept its promise and announced the price of the charging and discharging machine, which is 3,880 yuan. Additionally, up to 1,000 yuan can be deducted with 10,000 points. This is undoubtedly a very reasonable price, given that the price of slightly better third-party charging guns on the market is above 2,500 yuan. As soon as the price was released, it received high praise from users.
Secondly, Dr. Shen explained that adding the charging function only has an impact of less than 10% on the product’s price. What really adds cost is the addition of a safety isolation module, as well as meeting the IP66 dust and water protection requirements. Compared to other products on the market, NIO’s security is more guaranteed.
Speaking of this, some people may ask, why can BYD use a plug to provide external charging, while NIO needs a machine that costs several thousand yuan and weighs 13 catties?
The reason is that NIO’s car is not equipped with a bidirectional on-board charger, so it cannot provide external charging from the slow charging port like BYD does. Instead, it needs specialized equipment to extract DC power from the power battery through the DC fast charging port, and then convert it into AC power through a DC-to-AC inverter, which can then be supplied to ordinary electrical appliances.
The lack of a bidirectional charger is a product definition decision. Many other cars on the market, such as Tesla’s entire product range, are also like NIO in this respect. Theoretically, as long as the protocol is supported, NIO’s charging and discharging machine can be used on other cars as well. Similar products have long existed on the market.
During the communication meeting, Dr. Shen also stated that NIO’s car has sufficient self-protection measures, and it is difficult for normal use of third-party discharging equipment to cause damage to the car. Even if the car is damaged by third-party equipment, as long as the user has purchased the service worry-free package, NIO will provide a safety net. However, NIO cannot guarantee the safety of third-party equipment for people, which is also why NIO is launching safer official equipment.
As for many users questioning why NIO is introducing discharging equipment so late, is it afraid that users with unlimited free replacement rights will “milk the system”? Will there be any restrictions on this?Dr. Shen says, “Believe in the goodness of humanity.” Most users will not maliciously use free electricity obtained from NIO to charge their homes, factories, or other cars. Since the products have not been delivered to the users yet, NIO will not impose any restrictions on the amount of free electricity that users can consume. After running for a period of time, NIO may set a reasonable free usage limit based on user’s usage, but it will definitely meet the needs of most users.
This is truly what sets NIO apart from other companies. NIO never prematurely imposes strict restrictions on matters that are closely related to users, afraid that users will take advantage and obtain too many benefits from the company. Instead, they establish loose regulations and gradually adjust and improve them based on user feedback, aiming to satisfy as many users as possible.
Of course, the recent incident involving NIO also teaches us a lesson, that is, regardless of whether we are making products or providing services, we can never satisfy everyone, and there is no such thing as a perfect product. However, by doing the right thing with the greatest good faith, most people will respond positively. This is why NIO has high user ratings and user stickiness.
However, as simple as it sounds, it is not easy to achieve. I believe that every manufacturer who wants to be a user-oriented enterprise should at least attend a NIO user communication meeting, and then ask themselves if their CEO, president, or vice president can lower their attitudes, sincerely communicate with users, and face user criticism like NIO does.
If not, it is recommended that you don’t learn NIO’s service. This is really not easier than making a good product.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.