Posts Tagged Clothing

I have spent my entire career working in customer facing organizations directly helping customers to be successful with company products and it has always surprised me that companies do not do more in the design phase to prevent customer problems. I have been in the room with product managers (more than once) who, when confronted with potential customer issues have said … “That’s what our support team is for”.  For the most part, those products failed in the marketplace. Solely focusing on the product and features misses the point. Great companies do not sell products – they sell great customer experience.

Zappos.com is one of my most admired companies. Describing themselves as a “service company that happens to sell shoes, clothing, handbags, eyewear, watches (and eventually a bunch of other stuff)”, they reached 1 bl in revenues in 2008, after only nine years in business. Approximately 70% is from repeat business. Zappos has a unique culture, very focused on providing the best customer experience. Everybody regardless of position who joins the company goes through a 4 week training course, at the end of which they are offered the opportunity to take $1000 to leave the company. This ensures that those who stay really want to be there. Few take the offer.

Not only does Zappos focus on creating the best customer experience, but also creating a  great employee experience, through having a fun wacky environment. At the heart of Zappos culture are it’s core values.

1.       Deliver WOW Through Service

2.       Embrace and Drive Change

3.       Create Fun and a Little Weirdness

4.       Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded

5.       Pursue Growth and Learning

6.       Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication

7.       Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit

8.       Do More with Less

9.       Be Passionate and Determined

10.   Be Humble

Zappos believes in giving great service not only to customers, but also to employees, vendors and investors. In my experience working in software technical support, one of the most common challenges to providing great service is getting service from internal organizations. In order to provide a great customer experience, service needs to be embraced holistically by an organization, not just the customer facing teams. Zappos knows this.

Check out this nightline interview with Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh to learn more.

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