Hey everyone.
Today, I am excited to introduce a special guest, Stacy Archibald, one of our Beta Program Managers at Sonos with over 13 years of experience. Having worked on numerous hardware programs, features, and software development projects, Stacy brings a unique perspective on the company's journey. That's why we reached out to her to share her insights on the community and her time here at Sonos.
Here is what we asked her:
What is your role at Sonos and how long have you been working here?
My total tenure at Sonos is just over 13 years. For the past ten, I have been a Beta Program Manager working on hardware programs, features, and software. Before that I worked in Music Service Operations for about a year, and started here as a Retail Experience Specialist for 2 years.
How has the community and its discussions influenced your work?
Our community has always played a pivotal role in everything we do at Sonos, especially my position in Beta. The voice of our customer is one we rely heavily on as it informs us when we’re doing something right and when we have bugs that need to be fixed. The community and the discussions influence our work on a daily basis. They validate what we’ve released, tell us what features are desired and they escalate bugs impacting our customers. Although I am not reviewing the community daily, the information flows up in the form of new products, features, functionality.
What [aspect/product/piece of software/idea] as part of your work at Sonos are you the most proud of?
In my years in Beta, I’ve worked on many different types of programs and each have come with their own learnings and challenges. From the launch of Tidal on Sonos, numerous sustaining programs, launching our first products with Ikea, Playbase, Ray, Sub Mini, etc. Out of all my programs though, my most proud moment happens to be our most recent product. I loved being a part of the team who created and validated Arc Ultra ahead of its release. There were so many incredible features with this product and challenges we overcame to create such an amazing and powerful piece of technology. Arc Ultra is one I will enjoy for years to come!
What product or idea for Sonos would you love to see realised?
I would love to see more limited edition products. Blue Note, the Beastie Boys Play:5 Gen 2, the collaboration with HAY, etc were all super fun opportunities not only for the employees but also our passionate music lovers. They loved the idea of owning a limited edition as much as we did!
Any comments for our community members?
Thank you. Thank you for submitting bugs and your excitement when you love a new product, update, or feature. Thank you for telling us what types of products you want next. Thank you for loving this brand as much as we do. For the past 13 years you’ve provided me the opportunity to be part of the team creating new products to fill your home with music, dancing, get togethers, movie nights, sports parties, and so much more. Thank you for 20 years, I truly look forward to the years to come for Sonos and our community!
What Sonos feature have you enjoyed the most over the years? Share your thoughts below!
Personally, I’m thrilled about the support for AirPlay and direct control from apps like Spotify. There's nothing better than coming home from riding my motorcycle and seamlessly sending my music straight to my speakers, picking up right where I left off.
OBS: I got another surprise coming soon, stay tuned! 👀
