Why Urban Company’s App Rating Dropped: A Product Management Case Study
Breaking down a real-world retention problem and my approach to root cause analysis
Setting the Context
Urban Company has become the go-to platform for home services in India. From grooming to home repairs, its value proposition is convenience.
But recently, something alarming happened: its App Store rating in India dropped from 4.7 to 4.1 stars in just six months — specifically on iPhone devices.
As part of a product management assignment, I set out to analyze why this happened and uncover actionable recommendations.
My Process
I approached the problem through a Root Cause Analysis (RCA):
Analyzing User Reviews
Studied 100 one-star reviews.
Grouped issues into buckets: service quality, support, delays, interface.
External Factors
Overpromising ad campaigns.
Poor partner service quality.
Internal Factors
Buggy interface issues on iPhone.
Customer support relying on automated responses.
Unclear communication about delays.
User Journey
Booking and app navigation were fine.
The breakdown came after booking, during service delivery.
Key Insights
The numbers made it clear:
48% complaints: poor service quality.
27% complaints: delays & rescheduling without consent.
22% complaints: unresolved issues via customer support.
3% complaints: buggy interface.
The drop wasn’t about the app flow. It was about trust, reliability, and execution.
Recommendations
To reverse the trend, here’s what I’d propose:
Stricter Partner Quality Audits – Continuous training and certification for service professionals.
Revamped Customer Support – From robotic replies to personalized, accountable service.
Proactive Communication – Notify users early about delays or reschedules.
Expectation Management – Align marketing promises with actual service quality.
Takeaway
This exercise reinforced a critical truth:
In service marketplaces, the real product is the experience.
No matter how well the app is designed, customers will rate it poorly if the on-ground service doesn’t live up to the promise.
As product managers, it’s our responsibility to think beyond the app — ensuring consistency between what’s marketed, what’s promised, and what’s delivered.
⚡ That’s the story of my Urban Company assignment. In future posts, I’ll dive deeper into retention strategies, product case studies, and growth experiments.