Honeywell Evohome & HW customer service perception
Reading this board, I often reflect on how critical we are of features of EvoHome, and of Honeywell in general. Personally, I am pretty happy with my Evohome, but there is SO much that could be improved. So I had a hunt around and found this:
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/hon...hermostats.com
Now although this is about general HW thermostats, HW should really sit up and take notice - People are not happy.
Honeywell could use this board to gain access to such a passionate set of expert and basic users with feedback/suggestions etc for product development.
They need to engage more and listen far more. We all want Evophome to be successful, and HW may be surprised how many people are prepared to contribute to this - All FOC!
To be fair, some of the things suggested here (e.g. a display of heat demand) HAVE made it into the product (albeit people then complained about how it was done), so we are listened to.
And also some people here have been selected to beta test new hardware, software, and 3rd party integrations.
Having said all of that, it's all gone a bit quiet of late.
It ain't half...Originally Posted by paulockenden
I gather the Honeywell split into Resideo has caused a distraction...
For the 4.5 years I have used Evohome it has always been so and I have frequently grumbled that Honeywell do not engage with their customers enough. They know our email addresses, it is a simple matter of an email to tell us what is being done and most will not be a big secret. Whilst I am not a beta tester for Evohome, I am for Philips Hue, and the feedback we get from them is very good. There is a forum designated to the products and software and many around the world have become the cheapest test bench a manufacturer could have. The feedback, discussion and suggestions flow and we see Philips integrating suggested changes into the products and software. I would hope that Honeywell’s beta testing forum is of similar quality, but........?
One would think that in the 21st century, and with the technology to do it, a major manufacturer like Honeywell would want to engage with its customers - indeed also update its aging app!
They sent us all, well some did not get it, an email to say the server would have issues during February. How nicer it would be if at the outset there was an explanation of what and why.
Hello! checking in after a while away
Now we are Resideo rather than Honeywell but still marketing Honeywell Home branded controls including evohome
evohome is still very much the flagship product and continues to get updates as required to keep it working with the latest phones and operating systems
We engage with our pro installer customers on a more regular basis than retail customers as that is our prime route to market - though expert trained installers - so if you need help with installing or upgrades we would recommend contacting one of our 'connected specialists'
we recently released the 'evohome Essentials Packs' including 6 off the more recent HR91 smart TRVs and we continue to research and benchmark against the competition
so if you have any suggestions or support requirements please contact our support teams, we would love to hear your feedback
I work for Resideo, posts are personal and my own views.
Quote: “We engage with our pro installer customers on a more regular basis than retail customers as that is our prime route to market - though expert trained installers - so if you need help with installing or upgrades we would recommend contacting one of our 'connected specialists'“
You say Honeywell engages with the professional installers “on a more regular basis than retail customers”. That must be so as Honeywell does not engage with its retail customers at all.
But are the “connected specialists” such? Whilst I accept it as a few years ago, when I looked for one, those I contacted as recommended by Honeywell either did not want to know or admitted they knew little about the system. Yet they appeared as recommended installers. From previous postings I think others in the forum have found the same.
The instruction manual is not over clever and I had hit an issue. I succeeded with one “connected specialist” from the recommended list but he was of little assistance, admitted he knew little about it and I ended up telling him about the system and working out the issue myself (lack of clarity in the manual) – indeed teaching him!
It is not a system that needs great professional expertise to install and thus there are bound to be many who will do it themselves. It does not need any specific plumbing or electrical expertise; perhaps confidence working with electrics is better. I installed it and it works well. There are many like me.
Surely a good manufacturer does not isolate itself from its end users as your post appears to say? The most important part of the supply chain. The product is designed for them, not the installers.
Both Evohome Security and Evohome Heating are designed for the self installer. Whoever wrote the installation guide for Evohome Security was a different person and wrote with the end user in mind.
Currently we have a clear example, as I have often complained about in these pages, of the manufacturer not interested in the person who will actually use the system, its customers. Your post appears to confirm that. For example we are still living with a very old App that won’t even run properly on an iPad or link with HomeKit despite Apple opening the door for that to happen. I suppose the “connected specialists” are not bothered about this aspect, but their customers will be.
Methinks your choice of words was perhaps not wonderful!
Last edited by G4RHL; 24th April 2019 at 11:35 PM.
we engage with both pro-install and retail customers though our social media channels on facebook and twitter so you might want to follow those for more regular communications if you don't already?
the focus is absolutely on the end consumer - you - though our pro-installer network of connected specialists who have been trained in depth on the products and applications to integrate them into the wide variety of heating systems, so you can get the best buying and installation experience
evohome security is a slightly different proposition and as you have identified is aimed for diy installation
we have invested in a consumer support team whose role is to support end users, there is a seperate team for the pro-installer
hope this explains a bit better
I work for Resideo, posts are personal and my own views.
I think many people's impression of the "pro-installer network" is that they often know less about the product than the hive-mind here. Usually a LOT less.
Perhaps that's changed recently? Maybe things have got better? It would be good to hear from anyone who has had RECENT contact with people from the pro-installer network. How did you find them?
Just a couple of weeks back Paul, there was a member of this forum crying out for an installer. Your and my experience is similar in that these so called “professionally trained” installers knew little. It was a little embarrassing when I had to explain to one such how it works! But that was some time back and yes it would be good to know from others whether the quality of the service is now good.
As for using Facebook etc. to suggest changes, share ideas etc. I remain speechless. Most of the big suppliers of product have help and suggestion pages on their own web site - e.g. Arlo, Netgear, Philips, Apple. It is where I go to if seeking help and on the whole it is well set up. When I last looked at Honeywell on Facebook there was nothing I could see that bore any relation to the sensible comment and good advice we get here and it was more about telling us how wonderful Honeywell are. Within this forum some excellent suggestions for improvements, and the need for them, have been made over the past 4 to 5 years but nothing effected. We realised long ago that the end user is not of great interest to Honeywell. Reflected particularly in how they never explain what they are doing when say the system goes off line. All frustrating for the product is good, I am pleased with it and it works well.
Honeywell forget also that the end user could be a widow or widower whose recently deceased partner was the gadget one and the survivor is left helpless. My wife would not know where to start if she was told to read the manual and past experience does no have any expertise nearby other than probably another user of the system who I know lives not so far away.
If you do not support your customer then others in the market will fast overtake you.
Last edited by G4RHL; 25th April 2019 at 11:19 AM.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote