3 Lessons Zappos Can Teach You About Your Customer Service Standards
Exceptional customer service is the gold standard for many companies. What they don’t always realize, however, is that customer service is more than just preventing customers from complaining.
This becomes the question: How can a thoughtful client service approach boost the company’s business growth and the overall customer experience? By creating a process that is human, trackable, and unafraid to evolve. Companies that stay accountable for how they treat clients can produce employees committed to carrying out customer service that is thorough and consistent from end to end, creating positive, long-term benefits for both the client and the customer.
Customer service professionals agree that today’s customers have higher expectations than ever before. The pandemic itself showed just how important it is for companies to understand their customers’ needs and develop personalized customer service standards that will directly support them.
Zappos is a company that provides unique customer experiences and builds positive relationships with its clients, evidenced by its long-established “delivering happiness” customer service strategy and company culture motto. We recently conducted a webinar on Zappos’ customer service model, and these were the biggest takeaways from that session that you can apply internally:
Go out of your way for the small things.
Customers will remember you for doing more than the bare minimum. Take the same tactic with your team members by going above and beyond whenever you can.
If it’s their birthday, wish them a happy birthday or send them a small gift to brighten their day. Or just listen to their needs and help them with a more tailored approach.
Providing personalized experiences makes your associates feel heard and understood. They will never forget that your company cared about them and treated them as more than just another hired hand. In turn, they’ll look to pay it forward and create personalized brand experiences for your customers.
Expand your associates’ benefits.
These benefits shouldn’t be limited to health, disability, life, or retirement. Instead, consider experiential benefits that show inclusion as a team.
Bring food trucks and reward your staff with team lunches to motivate them. Fairs, family days, and other fun incentives are ways to let your team take a break from the office and show them that you value their hard work.
How does prioritizing your employee incentive program translate to better client service? Because the more passionate your team is, the more enthusiasm they’ll bring to work.
Make onboarding and training meaningful.
With all the required paperwork and focus on acquiring new skills, it’s easy to forget that the onboarding and training process should be a welcoming experience for your new hires. This new-hire period is your opportunity to make a lasting impression on your new employees and set them up for success.
From the day your new employee walks into the building to the day they decide to take that next step in their career, it’s imperative to treat them with respect and to value what they bring to the team. Focus on your new hires individually and learn who they are so that you can tailor the entire onboarding and training experience to their liking and inspire great productivity.
With rising customer service expectations, now isn’t the time for your company’s service standards to slip. Personalizing your internal customer service standards — much like Zappos has — will ensure that your business operates effectively and your external customers receive the best experiences.
Integrity Staffing Solutions is a full-service staffing agency and ranks in the top 2% of agencies across the country for quality service based on ClearlyRated’s “Best of Staffing” client survey. To learn more about Integrity or for help with your hiring needs, visit integritystaffing.com or call 833-446-1300.
