A week or so ago I was again taking part in my favorite tweet chat, #custserv, hosted by Marsha Collier, Roy Atkinson, Al Hopper and Greg Ortbach that takes place every Tuesday evenings 9pm ET.
During the chat I answered a question as you can see below:
A7: One of my easiest ways to train junior managers has been to have them “walk in the customer’s shoes”. Amazing what you can see #custserv
— Steve DiGioia (@SteveDiGioia) January 11, 2017
It was answered by fellow chat member Nate Brown who innocently tagged Zappo’s in the tweet…
This is especially easy at @zappos, they can just pull the shoes right out of the box. #custserv https://t.co/43lCFY4XxN
— Nate Brown (@CustomerIsFirst) January 11, 2017
In the freewheeling spirit of the chat I answered Nate…
@CustomerIsFirst @zappos I can hear the rim shot now… #custserv
— Steve DiGioia (@SteveDiGioia) January 11, 2017
Lo and behold, within 1 minute we received this tweet from Zappo’s…
@SteveDiGioia @CustomerIsFirst There it is! *BB pic.twitter.com/hOplxP8CTS
— Zappos (@zappos) January 11, 2017
Now, we have all heard about the great service Zappo’s provides and how they set the standard for engagement with their customers. But I had no idea that they apparently have personnel monitoring social media for mentions of their company and respond in such a timely and unique way. Hover over me for more info
Talk about the GREAT @zappos service – here is the proof as a quick answer to my tweet https://t.co/aPDxxEIivf
— Steve DiGioia (@SteveDiGioia) January 11, 2017
@SteveDiGioia *BB pic.twitter.com/84n1Ryf4v3
— Zappos (@zappos) January 11, 2017
What can we learn from this?
Customer engagement takes on many forms, over and above the actual direct transaction and purchase of a product or service. Too many times the business moves onto the next customer, steadfast in the notion the customer will undoubtedly return.
But will they?
We enjoy periodic communication with college room mates, past coworkers and far away family; since we wish to always be in their thoughts, but too many businesses fail to do the same with their customers.
How many times do you get an email, text or “snail mail” from a business you frequent that isn’t a direct promotional piece? Probably never, or at least rarely. Businesses like Zappos takes a different approach to customer contact, and almost every thing else.
So what’s the outcome of this? Well, by their unexpected tweets, Zappos impressed me and I willingly wrote this post about the company. Now, “tens of thousands” of people will read this post and have a positive impression of the company – an impression that may lead to a future purchase or at least the sharing of this story.
Bottom line: provide value to your customers and unexpected engagement. Priceless…
