I have now had two Audi TTs in succession and I’m looking to replace my latest..
Another TT was certainly a possibility and I went onto the Audi website
to look at the specs and configure it. The standard colours, however,
are very limited so I am thinking I will go for one of the non-standard
colours that are available at a price only to find that you cannot
configure the car with one of these online.
I then read in the press that, with much hype, Audi are opening their
first ‘digital’ showroom in Piccadilly London. This is what Autocar
said:
“Audi has opened the doors to its first digital showroom in London,
dubbed Audi City. The compact showroom — that showcases the marque’s
model line-up digitally – gives the firm new outlets in major cities.
Visitors to the new digital showroom can spec an Audi to their tastes
and then digitally view the model on large computer screens that fill
much of the showroom’s interior space.
Details such as drivetrain, bodyshell or LED tech can also be presented
'in order to make innovations understandable on an intuitive level'
according to Audi.
Audi marketing and sales boss Peter Schwarzenbauer said: “Audi City
combines the best of two worlds – digital product presentation and
personal contact with the dealer.
“This new retail format brings us even closer to our customers –
geographically, of course, but first and foremost in terms of the
quality of our relationship. Audi City offers new freedom for
tailor-made services and an even more individual contact with the
customer.”
Sounds good?
So I went to the showroom in Piccadilly, London to have a look at the colour and
specification of TT I might be interested in. In fact there was a strong
chance I would commit to it there and then.
Well - Audi could not have got it more wrong - STUPID - the showroom is a
disaster, manned by miserable people who don’t understand their products
and with inadequate technology - and the last thing they want to do, it
seems, is for you to buy an Audi!
This was my experience:
I arrived mid morning and there appeared to be no other customers but
about 6 or 7 members of staff. Two speaking German to each other
immediately as you came in - who didn’t even look up, a guy with one of
the electronic lecterns apart apparently repairing it and others,
presumably salespeople, one sitting and the others standing around.
The showroom was bare floored, bare walled and felt somewhat cold and unwelcoming.
A lady came up to me and asked if she could help (no smile, and a little
hesitant). I explained that I was interested in a TT, had heard about
their new ‘digital’ showroom and would like to configure my car (lots
of buying signals I would have thought!). She took me to the first
lectern, which apparently didn’t work, so we moved to the second. She
then helped me get configuring but the touch screen was awful - it was
like a first generation version - very user unfriendly. She had to keep
telling me to be softer or harder or to be more precise in touching!
I then get to the colours and go for the non-standard, select the colour
I am interested in and hey presto the large picture of my car on the
wall shows - NOTHING!
She then enquiries of a colleague, who then joins us (he does smile by
the way), and explains that the configurator cannot show the
non-standard colours as there were ‘too many’…...he then admits that in
fact this highly hyped configurator is, in fact, just the same as the
one they have on their website displayed on a digital wall. That’s all
it is.
I then ask how I can see the colour I am interested in and he says he
thinks he has some swatches ‘downstairs’. He disappears for ten minutes
and returns with some wooden swatches - each a few inches square ( hi
tech stuff)
I explained that I appeared to have wasted my time coming to London and that
I felt very let down and went to leave - at which point there was no
attempt to ‘sell’ to me.
The lady who had been sitting down throughout all this then stood up and
said she was a researcher for Audi and would I mind answering some
questions about my experience in the showroom. This was very long - and
with some very biased questions- and you can imagine the replies she got
- and would you believe that the moment I sat down with the researcher
the salespeople came and stood a few feet away so they could hear every
word I was saying!
I finally went to leave and the guy who had shown me the swatches came
over and asked if I had finished the ‘inquisition’ and if there was
anything else they could do. I made clear to him that when I had entered
the showroom I was minded to buy an Audi but that was now very
unlikely.
From beginning to end this was a case study in how not to do it.
Audi are a STUPID company - who could have been smart if they had thought about their customers needs first and the harnessed the available technology to deliver something special.
After reading the superb book about the future of business (and it's here now!) "Smart Customers Stupid Companies" I thought it would be great to list organisations we come across, or do business with, that fall into either category. So there are "SMART" and "STUPID" company awards, and I'd love you to contribute!
Monday, January 28, 2013
After reading the superb book about the future of business (and it's here now!) "Smart Customers Stupid Companies" I thought it would be great for us to list organisations we come across or do business with that fall into either category.
So there are "SMART" and "STUPID" company awards, and I'd love you to contribute!
So there are "SMART" and "STUPID" company awards, and I'd love you to contribute!
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