Car Stereos and Customer Service

The two are not exactly synonymous with each other. But this was in David Pogue's (NYT) rececent post:

Way back in January, in the Dark Ages of this blog (when it didn’t permit graphics, categories or even comments), I lamented that the audio unit on my 2000 Toyota Sienna minivan had died.
“The local Toyota repair-shop guy was big enough to admit that we could do a lot better, features-and-pricewise, by replacing it with a non-Toyota model,” I wrote. “Anyone out there know how I should begin my shopping for such a thing? Is there, like, one well-known Web site that reviews third-party head units, for example?”
WOW, is there ever! No fewer than 25 people–that is, just about everyone who read my not-a-blog back then–all responded the same way: “What you want is Crutchfield.”

To finish reading this story, go here.

Companies have a limitless number of ways to communicate with their customer--but this does not necessarily lead to better communication. And the finance mentality which often tries to take each transaction and break it down for profitability--this was the way McKinsey did it in the times I worked with them--will often get in the way of customer service. It puts a spotlight on costs, measuring for return where there is apparently no direct one. Measurements are fine, but as said (too) many times, you have to also feel the customer experience.

Anyway, the post by David Pogue made me wonder who Crutchfied was. So I went to their site and found this. Very revealing about how to be successful in 1976 and 2006.