Need For More Communication From Logos

I wish Logos would communicate a little more with their customer base about their plans and priorities.

For example, it would be nice to know: what new resources they expect to release soon; what they have put on the back burner for whatever reason; what plans / priorities have changed; why some orders have languished for years; what new program features may available in the next six months; what new program features will not be ready in the next year.

I am not asking for business details that are none of our business. We don't need to know the why of every decision, just where we are headed. Better communication would help customers make purchase decisions more wisely. Frankly, Logos does not do a very good job of this.

I realize at times they have predicted the release of resources or features, and when it didn't work out, people became upset. As a result Logos has become pretty tight lipped about everything. But more openness would be helpful. I think people became upset with delays because there was no explanation given.

I think more open communication would actually be a benefit to Logos, as well as the customer. Most Logos users feel a real sense of commitment to the program. Better communication from Logos would foster such loyalty.

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Comments

Bruce Dunning

I appreciate your thoughtful post Michael. I think that Logos will receive criticism whatever plan they adopt for communicating their priorities. As you have pointed out, when Logos has shared priorities and ended up having to change them people are up in arms. Now they are more reserved in doing so and they receive criticism for not communicating. It is a bit of a no-win situation for them.

When I do pause to think about it, Logos actually does share quite a bit with us. e.g. Future plans for Noet, new community price strategy for new books. Of course we can also read what the expected release date is for many resources close to publication.

That being said, I think that there may be room for Logos to share more information to help the user base feel more connected to future plans. I like your idea of them sharing in general terms why projects are delayed. Are there other specific things that we could suggest that Logos could consider?

Bob Pritchett

I'm happy to answer questions, but it would be very hard (and risky) to share all the things you're asking for proactively.

We have more than 300 people. We have four major, weekly internal 'email newsletters' which don't even begin to communicate to ourselves all that's happening internally. (And there's too much internal / partner-relationship / sales info in those to share externally. It would be a half-time job just to edit that stuff down to what could go outside.)

We have a target of producing 10,000 titles this year. The process of producing a title is multiple steps and goes back and forth between our offices here and on the other side of the world; 900 (yes, really!) people are involved. There's a tracking database and a lot of process, but sometimes things are held up a various points for many different reasons; predicting ship dates for new releases (or even announcing what's imminent) would be a big job.

And stuff just changes all the time -- a publisher will say "You can have every book in this catalog," and then a week later we'll hear that this or that book has a weird license and needs to be pulled from production. We'd be constantly changing our plans/predictions/web pages.

These, and other things, are solvable problems -- but experience (mostly here in the forums!) has taught us that very little is gained by talking about the future, and much anger / disappointment / etc. is provoked when the future doesn't meet expectations (which it never exactly does). I could hire a few people and spend salaries on 'publishing our plans', but would telling you about things you can't yet buy increase future sales? Or just frustrate people who once they hear want to 'buy now,' but lose enthusiasm by the time it ships? And we'd be giving a lot of advance notice to competitors in the market. It just doesn't seem like a good value.

We do blog a lot (are you reading the Faithlife and Proclaim blogs, too?), and I'll answer any questions I can here.

Donovan R. Palmer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511595#Comment_511595

What you need Bob is for someone to start up a 'Logos Rumors' website like some have set up to track Apple, Canon and others. That way people hear about possible developments which they can look forward to, but if it doesn't happen it was just a rumour anyhow! [;)]

Imagine a leaked screenshot of a Logos 6 (codenamed Sledgehammer) or a supposed early draft of the 2013 12 Days of Christmas offerings or a sighting of Bob on a plane headed to Israel, which may mean an agreement with Carta to use their maps to develop a killer mapping application or etc or etc?

When would we have time to study the Bible!?!

Deacon Steve

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511619#Comment_511619

LOL! That is too funny, Donavan. I like it.

[:D]

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511619#Comment_511619

What you need Bob is for someone to start up a 'Logos Rumors' website

[whisper mode on] Make it so, Donovan. I have a couple of hot rumors for you now… something about Logos going into the hardware business… [;)] [/whisper mode off]

Bruce Dunning

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511619#Comment_511619

Bob, once again you have done a great job at explaining things from your perspective and for that we are thankful. You folks really are doing lots and we appreciate it.

I can certainly see your point about being hesitant to share future plans because much can be lost in doing so if those expectations are not met. Your 10,000 title target is ambitious and I can only imagine the communication challenges with 900 employees around the world. That's why we appreciate you personally taking time to connect with us on the forums so much.

Bruce Dunning

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511646#Comment_511646

I have a couple of hot rumors for you now… something about Logos going into the hardware business… [/whisper mode off]

So that means the new Logos reader should be launched soon. [;)]

Mike Childs

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511595#Comment_511595

Thanks Mr. Bob for you thoughtful reply. As always, your comments are helpful and enlightening.

I am not suggesting as much detailed information as you seem to think, for the reasons you gave. As I said, "I am not asking for business details that are none of our business. We don't need to know the why of every decision, just where we are headed."

I mean just some general info about long term progress. For example, it seems reasonable that products that have been in production for a year deserve at least quarterly updates as to progress. If Logos is pretty sure something is not going to be ready in the next sixth months, I might purchase an additional resource if I knew. I think that would reduce frustration, rather than cause it.

I do appreciate the tremendous job all of you at Logos do. Thanks for a great product.

Jack Caviness

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511619#Comment_511619

What you need Bob is for someone to start up a 'Logos Rumors' website

Rumor has it that Logos CEO Bob Pritchett announced today that with the profits from the Classic Commentary series, Logos plans to purchase Microsoft and Apple in order to create a new Bible-based OS. [{][}]

Dan Francis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511676#Comment_511676

Rumor has it that Logos CEO Bob Pritchett announced today that with the profits from the Classic Commentary series, Logos plans to purchase Microsoft and Apple in order to create a new Bible-based OS.

ROTFL

[:D]

-Dan

Milford Charles Murray

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511931#Comment_511931

I Praise our Gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for ...

Joy ............. Happiness ............ a thousand, million other things AND indeed for all His many Blessings, including the fantastic sense of humour of Bob Pritchett and many of my brothers and sisters in our Logos Forums Community. My life is "enriched" because of our relationship, strange as it is! *smile*

Psalm 29:11

I thank God and I "Thank You"!!!

David Carter

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511651#Comment_511651

I have a couple of hot rumors for you now… something about Logos going into the hardware business… [/whisper mode off]

So that means the new Logos reader should be launched soon.

I heard it's currently called a Nook [:D]

Kevin A. Purcell

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511619#Comment_511619

What you need Bob is for someone to start up a 'Logos Rumors' website like some have set up to track Apple, Canon and others. That way people hear about possible developments which they can look forward to, but if it doesn't happen it was just a rumour anyhow!

I know you were speaking with your tongue firmly planted in your cheak, but that's not a good idea if you plan want to enjoy any kind of relationship with the company. They get pretty testy when things "leak" even when they do the leaking. Believe me, I know from personal experience.

Donovan R. Palmer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/512751#Comment_512751

I'll try to keep that in mind if I want to stay in the good books. [:#] (Not that I expect to get a call giving me a briefing or get an invite to the next board meeting!)

Randy Lane

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/511595#Comment_511595

[quote]

I'm happy to answer questions, but it would be very hard (and risky) to share all the things you're asking for proactively.

We do blog a lot (are you reading the Faithlife and Proclaim blogs, too?), and I'll answer any questions I can here.

Thanks for your willingness to reply Bob.

With sooooooo much available in Logos now I consider myself a poor steward if I spend much time trying to track releases. I currently can think of no pending release that is so critically needed that it warrants much, if any, time be directed away from USING the great resource God has given me with Logos software and the vast library of resources included therein.

I well remember a conversation between a senior level VP and the President of a firm I once worked for. The cost to annually support a system was estimated around $1 million per year, much to everyone's chagrin. The VP sounded off that he could live very happily on $1 million per year; the President replied "For about 6 months!".

Thanks to you Bob we blessed Logos users are virtually the equivalent of millionaires, what with the infinite treasure in our hands wherever we venture on the whole globe; let us always remember that when we yearn for more.