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Zappos and the continued power of customer service

March 12, 2010

Technology, Word Of Mouth

HENDERSON, NV - JULY 22: A sign is seen on th...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Last year Amazon bought Zappos and many feared the change. Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, sent around a note to employees explaining the transaction, what would change, and what would not.

Since that time Zappos has been commended on its execution of customer service at a level that is now admired by many companies.

This past weekend, gearing up for SXSW, I bought my first pair of shoes from Zappos. I tweeted this fact soon after buying my sneakers and got some funny replies. Some friends couldn’t believe I did not have an account. My sister even welcomed me to the world of online shopping, as I am usually the one to tell her about the latest website touting some technical feat.

However, soon after my tweet, Zappos got back to me – upgrading me to a VIP customer and shipping my shoes overnight. Wow!

First let me say Thanks Zappos!

Second, this is the continued “Wow” affect that Zappos delivers to customers – even new ones like me. After fending off friends and family from poking fun – I shared this story with them. I then shared this story with a few other folks over the last few days. Now I am even blogging about it here.

Customer service is a powerful tool. If the goal is to get tweets and blog posts – you have failed. If the goal is to get the “wow” factor, then you have to open a dialogue with customers, deliver high quality service and support, and most importantly don’t expect anything in return. This results in customer loyalty, return customers (which in some ways is the same thing) and a powerful form of advertising you cannot buy; word of mouth.

Will my story and blog post make a meaningful difference? Probably not. Although all the little wins add up in a big way and you can be sure I will remember how Zappos treated a first time customer, even though I am late to the shoes via Internet game! You can be sure if I run into anyone from Zappos at South by Southwest I will be sure to say hello.

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