In addition to speaking at the eWomen International Conference & Business Expo, I sat front row center as a spectactor for a lot of the sessions. All events were great in different ways. Some times Kleenex was in order; or pull out all stops and contribute to others at the Wisdom Tables; or stuff yourself at Chocolate Decadence; or feel pride during the 10 year retrospective of the eWomen Foundation. There were also times to take out the note pad because something great was said or done that had to be remembered (okay maybe not just the note pad but also a flip cam or iphone). When Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO, took the stage, I needed the Kleenex for tears of laughter when hearing his wild story about the late night pizza – most of which you’ll see here.
He gave us access to his successful business philosophy. Even when the call is not about shoes, Zappos reps will find a way to make you happy. He proved that quality customer service is memorable and the stuff business profits and legends are made of. Every caller is important. Time is not of the essence when speaking to a caller. Delivery is free. Returns are okay…even after three years.
My company, Triad West’s core competencies are diversity, leadership, transformation, and aligning employees to vision and values. Our core values include integrity, respect, and hospitality. We’ve worked with big and small organizations. And we always add some fun to or trainings. I enjoyed every moment of Tony Hsieh’s talk. He talked my walk.
And as this video shows, he has a sense of humor. After a night of bar hopping, one of the party goers wanted a pizza. The hotel’s kitchen was closed. But the woman from Skechers got her pepperoni pizza nevertheless. How? Even though it was said as a joke, “call Zappos”, she did. Apparently the Zappos customer service person she talked to found a pizza place for her that delivered 24 hours. Tony Hsieh gently suggested that we not call Zappos for pizza — just shoes.
