Valérie posted on mei 31, 2011 19:18
Could it be I have found a true “Geluksfabriek” where workers and clients are both attached (verbonden) and attracted (geboeid)? That is the question I asked myself when I read the book by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh “Delivering Happiness”. The book tells of the remarkable personal and corporate growth that took place over the last 10 years, when the focus of Zappos went from generating profits to providing WOW-level service to delivering happiness to all parties involved. After reading the book and attending a Delivering Happiness meeting I was so inspired I decided to go to Las Vegas to find out for myself just how the Zapponians do it. I will share my experiences through this blog, starting with the first challenge: getting myself noticed among the thousands of Zappos fans who contact Tony Hsieh with similar ambitions every day.
Video message magic
Since Zappos keep WOWing their customers by delivering more than they expect, I decided to try to WOW them in return. Instead of an email, I made this video message.
Experiencing the WOW at Zappos from Valerie Pivron on Vimeo.
I expected one standard reply but instead I received 3 different messages within a few days, here are some quotes:
Tony let me know about your message. We're all touched by your first video message! While Tony will not be available at that time, we are happy to meet with you here at Zappos Insights and give you more insights on our culture. (Robert)
Tony asked that I get in touch with you while he is traveling. We are very excited that you will be joining the Gold Event on June 9th. Hopefully, we will have a chance to meet.[…] Tony recommended that you walk around and interview other Zappos employees. You don't have to ask permission to speak to anyone specifically. We love to have visitors talk to whomever they happen to meet in the hall. (Elizabeth)
I WOW-ed them and they delivered happiness right away! My first goal has been achieved: I will not only be able to experience the Zappos Insights Gold Experience training but also to walk around freely and talk to whoever I want. There is so much I want to ask and find out, and I know many of you do too. I will be travelling to Las Vegas for a few days, plenty of time to connect with as many
Zapponians as possible and spending no time gambling since I hate it!
In preparation of my visit, I already assembled some questions from various customer service professionals but you are welcome to submit additional ones and I will do my best to get as many of them answered as possible.
I am now very much looking forward to my coming experience! I will keep you posted…
Valérie is a French national living in the Netherlands, follow her on this blog and on twitter @vpivron