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244 ● 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business
Marty and Sherrie; my sister, Amy; my brother-in-law, John; and my niece,
Zoe. (I’m hoping Joe will eventually visit a theme park with our future
grandchildren . . . hint, hint.)
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to conduct a customer survey, how to
train your employees to answer the telephone with enthusiasm, and why
“mystery shoppers” can alert you to serious problems. I also explain
why taking your product to your customer’s home or making high-end
apparel to order is a great idea.
As tough as it is to be pleasant and patient some days, remember that
if you put people first, the money will follow.
GREAT
Customer Service the Zappos Way
Maura Sullivan, senior manager of Zappos’ customer
IDEA
loyalty team, frequently does cartwheels around the
office. During the holidays, she wears a Santa hat.
Sullivan sets an upbeat and positive tone for the 500-person customer
service team answering phones at the super-successful Las Vegas–based
company.
In 2009, Zappos (a word play on zapatos, the Spanish word for shoes)
was acquired by Amazon for more than $1 billion in a cash and stock deal.
The company expected to post $1.2 billion in revenues in 2010, so they
must be doing something right. Providing incredible customer service is
a core value.
Everyone told founder and CEO, Tony Hsieh, he was crazy to sell shoes
online. They were wrong. Zappos’ devotion to customer service is legendary.
Customers order shoes online or on the phone, try them on at home, and
have a year to return them. Zappos asks only that you don’t wear the shoes
outside. “We’re not a shoe rental company,” said Sullivan.
She said customer service is such a high priority that every employee
is required to pass a four-week call center training course. No exceptions.
“Our new COO just went through it (the training),” said Sullivan. “If
you can’t pass the training, you won’t go on to your new position.”