I’m one of the newest members of Chrysler’s Customer Advisory Board. Hopefully, that actually will mean something in the near future, even if Chrysler gets bought by GM.

A while back I stumbled upon (literally, not StumbleUpon) the fact that Chrysler wanted to interact more with consumers to garner feedback on their products and their decisions. Chrysler Listens is the concept and if you’re interested you can visit the Web site and offer your opinions.

You also can submit your name and hope to be one of the 2,000 “insiders” who get to be on the Customer Advisory Board.

It’s a great concept and one that more companies should consider. So far, I’ve responded to polls and been asked to offer ideas on how a redesigned interior looks. I’ve also supposedly been given limited accessibility to key Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge executives who want to know what I think. I haven’t had the time to partake in one of these corporate boardroom chats yet, but I hope to at some point.

Chrysler is struggling right now and this kind of customer interaction sooner might have saved them from being on GM’s wish list. I believed this when joining the advisory board. After taking some time to read the advice from board members in the forums, I now firmly believe this about Chrysler and every U.S. auto company. But at least Chrysler is using the Internet in a positive way.

Have you been interacting with any corporations lately via the Internet? Have they been true give-and-take interactions or static message delivery with auto replies from some computer program housed in the marketing department. (Can you tell I despise those?) If you have a good story to tell, share it. We should be singing the praises of companies using technology the right way. Then, maybe, others will realize it’s something to embrace rather than fear.

Article Tags: Chrysler | customer feedback | internet | U.S. auto companies

Filed under: Brand Extension, Digital Customer Service, Digital Marketing, Online Placement