THE right decision may not necessarily be the right choice. That's the sound philosophy upon which Dr Michael Tien built Atlas Sound & Vision, the audio-visual specialist shop formerly known as Atlas Hi-Fi.
To illustrate this, he cites an instance in which a customer had presented a promotional voucher that was a week past its expiry date.
'My staff said no, you can't use it,' says Dr Tien, the company's managing director. 'It was the right decision, in line with company policy, but the wrong choice because the intention behind this voucher was really to thank our loyal customers.
'But we apologised and accepted it. In retail, things are always dynamic.'
Atlas Sound & Vision was first established in 1965 by Dr Tien's late father as a records rental outlet at Market Street.
Today, the one-stop brand sells mid- to high-end home entertainment systems such as Bose, Accuphase and Loewe.
It also boasts a growing B-2-B arm and it was responsible for the audio system in St Regis Hotel.
'Once upon a time, having a good product was enough,' says 45-year-old Dr Tien in a chat at his office above his flagship showroom at Millenia Walk.
He says that Atlas Sound & Vision, as a homegrown, familyrun business, has to slug it out with the big retailers like Harvey Norman and Best Denki.
He adds: 'Today, a good product and good service are expected. So, how do we keep improving?
'The only word we can come up with is delight. Delight means going beyond customers' expectations, because good people make good products better.
'We have an acronym for it: ACCE, Atlas customer-centric engagement strategy.'
Armed with this strategy, the company embarked on a rebranding exercise in the past few years.
On being one of the top entrepreneurs in this year's EYA, he says: 'It's an affirmation of what we've done as well as who I am and what I've become. It's a launching pad for bigger things.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times on October 22, 2008.
