Yesterday, my department and I were discussing some new marketing ideas to help bring awareness to financial education. I kept thinking of Zappos and Southwest (two of our favorite companies to talk about) and how they “wow” their customers.
The more I consider it, I think you first need to “wow” your employees so they have the faith in their company as well as the resources necessary to “wow” the people they work with and speak to throughout their day. If employees aren’t given the authority to offer something that wows a customer, it just can’t happen. Here’s an example, Zappos has been known to upgrade your standard shipping to overnight, just because. What a treat to come home and find your shiny new shoes waiting for you, three days ahead of schedule! Are people in your company allowed to upgrade a customer’s order without receiving approvals from a supervisor? Most likely, this is not the case.
Alright, I know you have no control over offering upgrades to customers, but if you’re happy don’t you tend to interact differently with people than on your bad days? So if things seem a little rough lately, sales are down, productivity is down, try to “wow” your staff. Get them excited about something again.
I’ll leave you with a few quotes from Zappos’ 2011 Culture Book:
Jenski – “I’ve never loved my job so much, not have I ever before felt like my co-workers were family.”
Pamela C. – “The Zappos Culture has meant continued growth and becoming a better person each year. With the Core Values we live and breathe each day, you can’t help but apply them to your daily life, either at home, at work or both. It is a culture that becomes an infection that you wouldn’t mind getting every day!”
Anonymous – “Zappos…its home away from home.”
If you ever have the opportunity to tour Zappos in Las Vegas, take it. Then as an HR person, keep an open mind.
Erica L. Originally posted at: http://uecubenefit.uecu.org/