SatetlliteGuys' "10 questions" with Jim Garrett Director of Product Marketing for Klipsch.
4-11-2006 - by Digital Dude
SatelliteGuys- Thanks for granting us the time for the interview Jim, How long have you been with Klipsch?
Jim Garrett - This fall will be my 7th anniversary. Although my title is Director of Product Marketing I'm really in charge of product development.
SG- This is Klipsch's 60th anniversary, how many other audio companies have such a long lineage?
JG- Not too many, that's for sure. The vast majority of speaker companies were started in the 70's. Jbl has been around but we're kind of the older and wiser audio company.
SG- What else is there that sets Klipsch apart from the crowded speaker market?
JG- Well our technology is certainly one of the most unique things about us and the fact we use horn loaded technology throughout the line exclusively. The company was founded based upon sound engineering principals when Paul Klipsch founded the company back in the 1940's and we still base all of our product technologies on those core principals. We have a strong engineering background with diverse product offerings anywhere from the multi-media offerings to very strong home theater product lines and commercial products.
We're one of the largest providers of commercial cinema speakers in the world and also one of the largest commercial speaker suppliers to Muzak. You'll find a lot of our commercial products in stores and restaurants along with commercial cinema's.
SG- Some people were concerned when Klipsch expanded their presence in brick and mortar stores, namely Best Buy, how have you been able to manage the growth?
JG- We've been on a tremendous growth path for 7 or 8 years in a row now so the growth part wasn't so much the question as handling the transition to that channel of distribution because it really hadn't been successfully pulled off by anyone at the time we needed to make the change. There were obvious changes that were happening in the market place and the benefits for us have been increasing the markets brand awareness substantially has been first and foremost a benefit to everyone. When you walk into a speciality retailer the likelihood of someone being familiar with our brand is much higher now due to the fact we're in Best Buy and also in their Sunday circular every weekend. It's also addressing a new customer base, When we expanded into the multi-media products we addressed a new customer that traditionally hadn't been exposed to us or any of our competitors. It's a much younger demographic, the way people buy is different now, the products people buy are different now and changing that and expanding into that has helped us on the retail side, and the speciality side.
SG- There are always people looking for a deal that seems too good to be true. Do you have a mechanism that the end-user can access to help identify whether they are purchasing from an authorized dealer?
JG- Absolutely! On our website is an authorized dealer locater and you can certainly check to see if the person you're buying from is an authorized dealer. You can call our customer service department toll free at 1-800-KLIPSCH to find out if you're dealing with a legitimate dealer. Certainly in this day and age you can find guys that are just peeling serial numbers so any time you find a product without a serial number it's most likely not a legitimate product. We still find that people will try to put false serial numbers on them but we have a fairly extensive method of being able to track products regardless of what's been done to them and are very active in enforcing a zero tolerance policy for dealers that trans-ship products and the bottom line is if you see a product priced too good to be true it probably is too good to be true.
It comes down to the fact that it is about customer service, we want to be able to support the dealers and customer base. Having unauthorized dealers out there and tarnishing the reputation for us but also causing concern with customers, you don't want to have the "Oh yea I got a great deal on these but something was wrong when I got them and the people I got them from won't do anything to help me if I can even find them again." you know, it's just not worth the effort in most cases. (For more info go to http://www.klipsch.com/customerservice/legal/unauthorizeddealers.aspx)
SG- My first surround speaker setup that had to comply with WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) was the original Quintets. I see you're on Series III, what has changed?
JG- The Quintet has evolved over the years and still a highly successful product. Currently the generation III model has been out a couple of months now and has been updated as we go. The Qunitet III actually went through more of a change from the II than the II did from the I. The quality of drivers has gone up quite a bit, newer horn design, better mounting flexibility in terms of mounting on a wall or other mounting angles and we've certainly improved them aesthetically. The latest generation looks like a more expensive product and feels like a more expensive product.
SG- What new products are driving your companies growth these days?
JG- Well certainly the expansion as the market has changed from beyond 2 channel or home theater products has expanded obviously due to the revolution brought about by the Ipod and other MP3 products has had us move in that direction and we've had some fantastic success with the ifi and iGroove products, I'm sure you've seen both of those.
SG- Even though I'm middle aged, yeah I have.
JG- (laughing) Those have been extremely successful for us. What it comes down to is that people still basically enjoy listening to music. The younger generation listens to music just as much as the older generation, they just do it differently. So what we've done is continue to change and adapt to continue to accommodate the changing ways that people get their music and how they listen to it. In the end everyone wants quality sound and in the end sound has to come out of a speaker so it's just a matter of how you want the interface to get it there. We're still about best in class performance regardless of the application.
SG- We have members that range from newbie's to grizzled veterans of sound reproduction. There is so much evolution in home entertainment these day I have to admit that I was caught off-guard when I went to your website and saw the ARAGON line of Amps and pre-amps. How long have you marketed them?
JG- That company was a company we acquired in 2000 that was founded in the 80's (Editor's note-God did I ever feel like a moron until he said the 80's, college and beer fuzzed out that decade) with two lines Acurus and Aragon product lines which we consolidated into the Aragon product line of 2001. The amplifiers were the first THX Ultra 2 amplifiers on the market and the Stage 1 processor was the first Ultra 2 pre-amp on the market. Those products are very expensive products, very high end products, (Note- I feel better knowing I can't afford them!) they're flagship pieces. (Translation, I'll never be able to afford them unless I loose my teeth and move into a trailer so I can win the lottery.)
SG- Here's the loaded question. Klipsch has always had a reputation for top notch customer service and support as has others in the past, but you've managed to maintain it without outsourcing customer service. Do you feel other companies will bring back customer service to North America to stay competitive in the minds of discerning customers?
JG- That is loaded. Certainly customer service is a huge part of the equation. It is always foremost in our minds and in how we operate and develop products. That's the only thing that matters, you still have to build a great product but in the end it's all about providing a product and service that people want and are happy being a part of. As a matter of fact we still have a customer service department that is not too far from my office. As a matter of fact it's just down the hallway. Our customer service is based right here in our Indianapolis Headquarters and staffed not only with basic customer service but technical support staff also. We feel that's the best way to control it and make sure we have the proper information to them and it's a good tool for us that we certainly use as a tool for feedback. Getting concerns both positive and negative from customers on a very quick basis that we can to continue to refine what we're doing.
SG- Not to be a cheerleader but I agree 100%. There's an unnamed company that constantly touts their award winning customer service that I went thru a 5 day ordeal and 14 hours on the phone and I never got to speak with anybody in this country, let alone anyone empowered to resolve the situation. It's something that I seriously take into serious consideration before I make a purchase. Having your support in your headquarters has to be a huge advantage.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
JG- No I think that's about it.
SG- Thank you very much for your time and for keeping Satelliteguys.us the Internet's HIghtechTV information source.
For more information go to www.Klipsch.com
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