Sunday, September 7, 2014
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Friday, September 5, 2014
#LustOfTheDay
Oops, meant to say "classic & classy." When will twitter finally let us edit posts anyway?
Oh well---getting a response from Zappos is always good!
Did you post a #lustoftheday on Twitter today?
Thursday, September 4, 2014
#LustOfTheDay
Have your own Zappos Lust of the Day? Tweet it with the hashtag #lustoftheday and I'll share it here! Be sure to tag (@) or hashtag (#) InsideZappos!
Email: juliannajanayoung@gmail.com
Twitter: @jana_young
Instagram: @juliannajanayoung
Zappos and the Twitter-verse
Getting involved with Zappos social media is a huge step to transitioning from Insider to Inside. But for those not active on those sites, it can seem especially daunting. Twitter is by far the platform Insiders seem to fear most, and is also (arguably) the best place to meet & mingle with your future besties (the introduction of Google Hangouts may quickly change that, but let's just focus on Twitter for now...)
So you have an account, what next?
Start following! Use the search icon to start finding and following the people you want to interact with. For Insiders like us, that means anyone who is part of the Zapposphere.
This list is where I started, and as you meet and make friends with Zapponians, you'll want to follow and be interacting with them too!
Let's start with the obvious:
By following @InsideZappos, you'll get the most important info Insider on your Twitter feed.
You definitely want to be following @Zappos if you're hoping to work there. It's the best way to know what's new with Zappos.com.
Tony Hsieh, the CEO and genius mind behind Zappos, is also active on Twitter. You can get to know him better by reading what he's up to!
Next, you want to follow all of the Ambassadors. Yes, all. You may only be interested in Marketing, but all of them have valuable insight on how to break on to the scene. And of course, they are great friends to have!
Althea Dunn: Technology Ambassador
Rockne Henriques: Merchandizing Ambassador
Christina Bates: Corporate, Marketing, & Creative Services Ambassador
Mikell Goheen: Finance & Accounting Ambassador
Kristina Jadkowski: Customer Loyalty Ambassador
Kiersten Sedlar: Internship Ambassador
Next, some important and fun folks who I have met, and think you might want to get to know:
Mellisa Gonzales: Recruiting Coordinator & Community Manager
Christa Foley: Senior Manager for HR & Zappos Insights
Cody Miller: Recruiting
Mike Bailen: Recruiting Manager
And now here are some of the less obvious, but equally important accounts to following in staying abreast of all things Zappos:
@EyeZapp is all about the Zapponian Culture. Culture is very important to Zappos, and this is a great way to immerse yourself in it!
@ZapposInsights is all about what makes Zappos such a successful company. This is the account other businesses follow to get "Insights" on how to improve their own. It will help you learn more about what Zappos is looking for in their employees.
@Zinternships is, as you may have guessed, all things internships. For those not interested in an internship, this account still provides great insight on what Zappos is looking for.
@Zappos LEAF is all about going green, and offers some great volunteer opportunities.
There are many, many more, but this where I recommend you start!
Now that you're following some folks, it's time to get tweeting! Read some tweets that have been recently posted, and start by replying. Instead of just saying "Hi," get involved in the conversation. Re-tweet ("RT") or quote tweets that you like. Make sure to keep the original poster tagged!
As you start writing your own messages, use hashtags (#) to link your tweet to the topic. Popular hashtags for Insiders to know, use & search are #InsideZappos, #ZapposCulture, #DTLV, #ContainerPark, & #Zapponians.
Well, there's your Zappos Twitter Tour. Let me know who you follow that I missed, or that we should become friends with! Know that while staying active on Twitter is a little time consuming, it's worth it; if Zappos is your goal, Twitter is the quickest way to get noticed.
Oh--!! I almost forgot one!
See you there!
Email: juliannajanayoung@gmail.com
Twitter: @jana_young
Instagram: @juliannajanayoung
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
My Zappos Tour (Part Deux)
@zappos + #LasVegas = #TheHighLife!
Okay fellow #insiders, here comes more about my #zappostour with @erika_svea, and I am pretty certain businesses everywhere should be taking notes on this:
CustomerService.
I was truly dumbfounded. Let me remind you that this is all IMHO, and not sucking up to anyone. I've just spent years in customer service and never seen anything like what they're doing. Here are the 3 main points of interest:
Customer service culture shock #1:
Anyone who has spent any time in customer service knows what AHT is. Unless, of course, you work at @zappos! AHT (or, Average Handle Time) is something closely monitored by most (if not all) other companies. As an agent, your AHT is a reflection of how long, on average, it takes you to complete a phone call/live chat/email interaction with a #customer. They want you giving good service while being with the customer the shortest time possible. Truthfully, these two goals are not compatible. Zappos knows that and kicked AHT to the curb.
Yep.
The customer truly comes first. They don't time you & punish agents for personalizing calls. In fact, Zappos holds the world record for the longest ever service call: 10 hours. I'm not sure what they talked about that whole time, but I bet they are besties for life. Efficiency is obviously an important goal, but not before service.
Customer service culture shock #2: Everybody...
(let me emphasize that again...,)
...EVERYBODY who is hired at @zappos spends at least 4 weeks ON. THE. PHONE. Yep. Doing customer calls. Why? Well, because Customer Loyalty is the prized jewel at this company, and they know that to maintain that, all of their employees need a firsthand understanding of what amazing service is about.
Also, a taste of how difficult it can be. Ever had a boss that was trying to coach you on something they had never done? (Psst...I have.) Doesn't happen at #Zappos. Customer loyalty is everything, and so that's where everyone starts.
Customer service culture shock #3, and my fav:
At @zappos they walk the walk.
Anyone who has worked in a call center has heard the same dissertation on how customers come first, service is number one, reputation is everything, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I said it: blah, blah, blah! Because with the majority of companies, that's all it is! In these same speeches, they will also regale you on not "giving away the cow" just because one customer is unhappy. You often need to get returns or discounts of any kind approved through a supervisor, and what agents can actually do for customers is extremely limited.
You guessed it: not at #Zappos! Simply Google "zappos customer service stories," for tale after tale of extreme lengths agents have gone to, with encouragement, for customers. This picture is from those old YouTube videos...the ones where puppets act out real phone calls? Yeah. Awesome. Check them out. But these true stories are just a handful of the great interactions that take place every day. This post is already too long, so I'll save some of my favorite examples for another day. But in closing, the #zappostour made me want to shout their business model from the rooftops!
Why is everyone not doing this?
A.ma.zing.
(Ps: #1800contacts is another company that walks the walk with customer service. They totally deserve a shoutout for that.) ❤️
(Pps: they modeled their business after Zappos. Figures, right?)
Got an Insider question, story or photos to share? Post below or contact me and I'll get it on the blog!
Email: juliannajanayoung@gmail.com
Twitter: @jana_young
Instagram: @juliannajanayoung
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