Recently I bought shoes on Zappos.com. After wearing them for a day, I felt disappointed. So I called Zappos to “share my story,” that is that I bought a pair of shoes, spent more than I normally would, wore them for a day, and that they weren’t comfortable. The customer service rep said, “I’m sorry but we don’t take back worn shoes but would you mind holding for a minute?” When she returned, she explained that based on my history of being a good customer she would provide me with a full refund. Wow, she had me hooked, I was curious.
So I asked her, “Why would you and Zappos be willing to do this – especially since I wore the shoes?” She thanked me for being honest and explained Zappos wanted me to be happy and they would donate the shoes to charity if they couldn’t be resold. That’s the first part of the story, a happy customer, with a $200 credit.
It gets better, here’s the second part: We continued talking and I asked her, “What’s it like to work at Zappos?” She mentioned she LOVED her job, felt empowered to make decisions concerning how to help her customers and asked me if I had read the autobiography by the Zappos CEO, “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose.” I said no but I was a consultant trying to learn more about trust, loved to read, and would download a sample to my Kindle. After chatting some more we ended the call and I thanked her.
The other day, about a week and half after that conversation, after a long day at work, I received an unexpected gift in the mail from the customer service rep (ha! Now I wish I could remember her name to thank her) – it was the book, “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose.” Wow not only did that make me happy, it made my day.
If you have a minute or two, drop a line cqb@quartner.com, and let me know what’s going on in your life. How are you building trust and finding happiness with your team. Always love to hear from you!