The Zappos Wow Factor

Last week, we shared some of the ways that Southwest Airlines surprises and delights their customers, and how this has allowed them to build a loyal customer base. Today, we’re taking a look at Zappos – a company whose name has become synonymous with excellent customer service – to see how they show their customer that they care.

In the past, Zappos customer service representatives have:

• Sent “get well” flowers to an elderly woman who ordered 6 different pairs of shoes for her ailing feet only to have to return them all.
• Overnighted a free pair of shoes to a customer whose shoes for a wedding (in which he was the best man) had been delivered to the wrong address the day before. They also refunded him for his original order. Free shoes!
• Regularly surprising customer with upgrades to Zappos VIP status.
• Teamed up with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to pay the toll for all passengers traveling along a section of the Massachusetts Turnpike on Thanksgiving Day in 2011.
• Accepted a return on a defective pair of shoes (that were still under warranty with the manufacturer) and sent out a new (more expensive) pair overnight at no charge to the customer.
• Shipped out regular orders overnight (for no charge), just because!
• Searched competitors’ websites to help Zappos’ customers find what they are looking for if Zappos is out of stock.

Tack these delightful surprises onto their already fantastic shipping/returns policy, and you can easily see why 75% of Zappos business is repeat business. Their customers love them!

Have you had any great experiences with Zappos? Tell them about us in the comments section below!