What companies do you rave to friends about? Who do you return to again and again as a customer?
Chances are it’s companies who focus on the Customer Experience, rather than being inwardly focused on profit margins and corporate doublespeak.
I had the good fortune to learn about how Zappos.com has grown in the last 7 years to nearly $1 billion after a guy couldn’t find the shoes he wanted in the mall. You may know Zappos as a great online shoe store. They call themselves a “service business that happens to sell shoes.”
But I’m Not Opening a Shoe Store!
Whether you’re working as an independent contractor or starting a business or nonprofit you expect to grow massively, your success will multiply if you plan a great customer experience. Whatever your field of work, you’ll benefit from these tips from zappos.com
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Tips From a Company With a Mission “To Live and Deliver WOW”
TIP 1
Commit to customer service and make it part of mission. Entire company, not just a department. Be true to your mission when making hard decisions.
Their mantra is: “We are a service company that happens to sell shoes, watches etc”
To deliver an excellent customer experience, Zappos has spared no expense to ensure fast, accurate fulfillment. (Last night I met someone who raved incessantly about how they encourage you to order 2 sizes to make sure one is right, and return the other at no charge.)
Products are loaded onto trucks within 4 hours. And if they don’t have what you want they’ll refer you to competitors’ websites.
Is your mouth hanging open yet?
TIP 2
Come up with committable core values. Don’t just come up with core values because they sound good. When you shop with Zappos and interact with their staff you’ll feel these values come through:
- Deliver WOW through service (NOT through price)
- Embrace and drive change
- Create fun and a little weirdness
- Be adventures, creative and open minded
- Pursue growth and learning
- Build open and honest relationships with communication
TIP 4
Make WOW part of your company’s everyday vocabulary (the way customers talk). Incorporate the terms that are important to your company into your everyday language, rather than merely hanging inspirational signs around the office.
TIP 5
Remember that customer service is an investment - not an expense.
DON’T HIDE YOUR 1-800 NUMBER. Don’t measure call times. DON’T use the phone call to upsell the customer. (I’ve had companies do this when I call to complain. Clueless!)
TIP 6
Trust and empower your customer service team. Find people that are passionate about customer service. Zappos reps don’t follow a script or standard procedure. There’s little a manager can do that a rep can’t. They just keep in mind to WOW the customer.
Think of the times you’ve called companies and had a conversation instead of being on the receiving end of a script. Those are the companies you love, right?
TIP 7
Create a culture book, as you grow, to keep the culture intact.
Interviews and performance reviews are 50% based on core values and cultural fit.
TIP 8
Give great service to everyone: Customers, Employees, Vendors, Investors
Because in turn, you’ll be creating an extensive network of people acting as advocates and fans of your company.
Every interaction with customer loyalty team is considered a BRANDING OPPORTUNITY - not an expense.
TIP 9
Make culture part of everyone’s performance review. Zappos wants employees to feel that working there is a calling - the last place the employees will ever work. How cool is that!
TIP 10
Have the entire company celebrate great service. Tell stories that can get infused into the company culture about the time when individuals at any level went the extra mile.
Through the years Zappos has expanded its product selection. From the first day I decided to buy shoes online I was impressed by all the options they offered for choosing sizes, colors etc.
They’ve been copied by many but the one thing their CEO is sure of: You can’t copy a company’s unique culture and experience. But hopefully you can learn from it!
Do you have more tips or great experiences to share?
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