How Zappos uses customer insight to drive better customer experience

I recently had the opportunity to ask the team at Zappos about their use of customer insights. Zappos has created the ultimate customer focused culture, they are passionate about their customers and always find new ways to create value. Below you will find the question I posed and two answers from Zappos’ers…….

“Given Zappos’s intense focus on customers and customer satisfaction, can you share some of the interesting or surprising customer insights you have gained over the years and how they have helped you improve the business?”

Shannon Roy:
“Customers love to be surprised with a WOW when they least suspect it.
This is particularly true if they called with a cantankerous attitude!
If you are able to quickly solve their issue, with a minimum of effort on their part, they are flabbergasted and very appreciative!
If you solve the issue, no matter what it might be, that alone can surprise them.
We do whatever it takes to get to YES”

Scott Klein:
“The biggest customer insights we’ve gained are by simply listening to our customers and acting on the feedback…
There are thousands of emails and calls that we’ve received over the years from customers sharing great suggestions, so we have taken this feedback and implemented many ideas. For example, our customers wanted an improved Zappos.com website with a more user friendly search option, thus an enhanced Zappos.com site was recently born. Customers asked for a Store Credit feature, instead of being refunded on their credit card, so we created a Store Credit process. Consumers in general wanted a higher level of service, so we committed ourselves to being a world class service company, providing a Personal Emotional Connection on every customer interaction.

We consider our internal employees customers as well, so we’ve implements many of their ideas. For example, with Zappos CLT Inc, we’ve added  a work from home program, updated call review process, and a different way to look at our attendance practices. All of these changes help to insure the happiness of our internal customers, which leads to super “Wow” when taking care of our external customers. BTW, the “Wow” is sort of like “The Force,” it’s what gives a Zappos’er their power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, and penetrates us. It binds the customer experience together.  :)”