Zany Zappos Customer Service Culture: It's Not Just About the Shoes!

Zappos--have you heard of them? If not, you must be living under a rock! Zappos is written about everywhere in the business press for their absolutely stellar customer service. Known for their completely unorthodox customer service culture, Zappos views any expense that enhances the customer experience as a marketing cost. The company believes the opportunity to go the extra mile for the customer generates revenue. The company is fanatical about tracking customer purchases and keeping track of customer history. Zappos also boasts an extensive CRM system with an actual warehouse called Genghis, where the whole history of the item is kept in the system. The company and its call center operate differently than most of its competitors, because the call center throws out the standard measurement tactics. The call center representatives don?s use scripts or have quotas or call time limits. Zappos actually encourages customers to call the contact center, and the call center representatives frequently offer free upgrades. Zappos attributes its customer engagement through its 10 Zappos Core values, which include passion and determination, embracing and driving change, building a positive team and family spirit, doing more with less, pursuing growth and learning, fun/weirdness, adventure and open-mindedness, as well as being humble. In this podcast you will hear from Zappos call center managers Maura Sullivan and Rob Siefker, who have both been with Zappos since its early days in San Francisco. They have watched the company grow while maintaining its start-up culture and feel. You will find out Zappos secret ingredient for success within their customer service culture and their call center.