Amazon announced yesterday that they are going to purchase Zappos for a cool $850 million. Zappos managed to get it right, that is, they never lost sight of what’s important. I believe the two things that really stand out about Zappos are:
1. The customer service approach; and,
2. A culture built around 10 core values.
If you go to Zappos.com, and click through to About Us, their customer service approach is spelled out. “At Zappos.com, Customer Service Is Everything. In Fact, It’s The Entire Company.” They go on to say, “Internally, we call this our WOW philosophy.”
Although their primary goal is to sell product on-line, this goal is shaped around a sales process that begins and ends with customer service. The result is a happy and satisfied customer that shares their positive experience with their friends and family – a great way to ensure a solid and sustainable model for growth in their business.
The 10 core values make a lot of sense when you read them. But what sets Zappos apart from many companies (many of which have similar sets of values) is the fact that they are more than words on a piece of paper to the employees.
The culture of Zappos was built around these core values and the employees embrace them and make them a big part of their everyday work life — from the CEO all the way through to the customer service newbie. The result is not a bunch of individual voices and ideas but instead a consistent and coherent message. The message reflects the culture of the company and ultimately provides the customer a level of trust when looking to transact business. This trust brings the customer back time and time again when they are in the market to purchase the goods and services provided by Zappos.
My favorite Zappos’ value is “Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication.” At PhotoOne, we have made our blog our primary communication medium allowing us to communicate information on a real-time basis. We are also committed to client service with our Technical Support team. We believe their level of expertise and client focus make a difference when choosing a studio management software.
After you take a look at the 10 core values, let me know which one best defines the way you look at your business. Also, Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, has over a million followers on Twitter — he might be someone you want to follow!
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Don’t forget your PhotoOne photographers in Indiana, Bruce and Julie Morris
Julie good speaking to you today. Look for a posting on our discussion today!!! Thanks for the feedback.