Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Why Do Big Companies Educate Their Customers So Poorly?
Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Talk" @ 07:00 AM
The above is a screen shot taken from Logitech.com, using their online tool for comparing Harmony remotes. This tool is designed to allow potential customers to select the Harmony remote that will work best for them. But why is it then that the two remotes, one nearly double the price of the other (The 510 street price is $99), come up as identical in the comparison tool? Is Logitech really trying to sell a remote for twice as much that doesn't do anything different than the less expensive one? It turns out, no, they're not - but it sure looks that way, doesn't it?
I did a bit of research on my own and discovered that the 670 model has PVR-specific controls, while the 510 model does not. This is a pretty important fact for a customer to know, since I'm willing to bet a very high percentage of people buying a Harmony remote own a PVR. So why isn't that listed as a difference between the two products? Logitech is doing a poor job of educating buyers on the differences between their products here, and they're certainly not alone. The online computer-ordering process is among the worst offenders at putting choices in front of the customer and doing a horrible job at explaining what those choices actually mean. Read more...
