So we’re back, after some time away. Here’s the tl;dr version: we tried something in 2008/09; it didn’t work; we learned some lessons; we ‘pivoted’; and now we have something new and cool.
The longer version goes like this:
We tried something new in 2008
When we launched in 2008, we were riding high on our new, fresh, unified approach to business communications. We had a client-server software system (Unison Desktop and Unison Server) that combined phone, email, IM and other things into one neat system. And we were based on Linux, which was also on a tear as people started to question whether they truly needed Windows anymore. And we offered it free (FREEEE!) which we hoped was a surefire winner.
But it did not work out
People didn’t want a new-fangled alternative, no matter how cool it was. They didn’t want to throw out their existing telecoms and email systems. They didn’t want take a chance on something different and risky. And they didn’t want another on-premise system to manage – they just wanted simplicity. So, after a while, we shelved the old Unison client-server product.
We learned some lessons from our failure
- Challenge your assumptions aggressively
We placed bets that were wrong and did not challenge the assumptions underlying them: we thought that on-premise servers and software would continue to be sold for some time; we thought that new features could overcome the inertia behind Microsoft Outlook; and we thought our business software’s low cost could overcome a lack of reputation. Wrong, wrong and wrong. - Don’t spend a long time building, before validating
We spent a couple of years building software… that customers didn’t want. - Simple is always better
Simplify the customer experience to the absolute minimum. Don’t make them think, don’t make them work, don’t give them features unless you know that 90% of users will actively use and like them.
So we pivoted and made something new and cool
We realized two important things: first, Microsoft Outlook was not going anywhere; and second, end users and not IT people were gaining control of business software. So we made Unison for Outlook, a superfantastic plugin that extends Outlook with lots of new capabilities, but is simple to use. More on that in our next post, Unison for Outlook, a superfantastic plugin. If you just want to try it, go here to download Unison.
