Zappos Customer Experience

The Zappos Way, of  Looking After Clients from the inside out, from  staff to investors all making sure that the clients come first every time. The use of the evergreen customer experience makes sure that they have evergreen clients for life.

Evergreen clients’ means looking after your clients from prospects right the way through to after sales and more…. This is also known as the customer experience. The greater the experience the greater the chances are they will talk and brag about your service or product to bring you in more evergreen clients, who in turn will do the same provided they too experience the same level of customer experience from you.

The future is evergreen clients

Take a leaf out of the pages of Zappos evergreen clients as a benchmark for customer service / support. You see with Zappos the clients come first no matter what, the client experience comes next then the business comes third. Zappos have realised that without customers / clients you don’t have a business, and that sales and profits are a by-product of getting and retaining happy clients for life. Happy customers will keep coming back and bringing in others each time they back to experience what they have experienced. That is why back in 2010 Amazon paid $1.2 Billion to buy the company.

Zappos end to end customer journey experience

In any business there are three stages in the life of a client / customer, to attract new clients (lead generation) to convert from prospects to paying client / customer and this is where most companies stop. The attitude is the sale has been made we have got their money thank you very much and good bye. Anyone who is using the evergreen clients systems like,Zappos knows the life time value of each client if they treat them right like royalty. Zappos know that it costs 5 to 7 times more to bring in a new client than what it costs to service existing client better and keep them coming back for more and bringing in friends and family for the customer experience.

Every Company Has Three Bosses

Every major company has three conflicting bosses, the investors, the employees and finally the clients, but the smart companies know that you can start a business without investors and employees. But without clients / customers you don’t have a business. So Zappos put their clients first every time, their employees even put the company's clients first and that’s why the investors love them because they earn more profits which mean more dividends, it's simple, win win for everybody.

Leaking Bucket With Holes

Companies that see after-sales clients as pests are good at spending money on advertising or marketing to keep bringing in new clients to fill their buckets with fresh rainwater but do nothing about the leaks at the bottom. Zappos on the other hand sees the after sales clients as guests and welcomed guests at that, every time no matter how big or small the problem may be. Just take a look at their Twitter followers and see the comments by clients also Facebook read the comments and feedback of evergreen clients and see what you can learn from Zappos customer experience. The social media is an open book for other evergreen clients to see if the service experience is as good as people say by talking with other clients of Zappos. All Zappos employees are encouraged to use social media to become brand ambassadors.

Clients, Clients and Clients First every time

If you put your clients first when you are setting your sales process up to attract new clients, you must have the clients interests at heart and in mind first. Second when trying to convert clients, keep the clients’ interests at hand first before the company’s interests. Third after the sales do not lose contact with the client making sure the experience the client has enjoyed is shared with you and others. In all three of the stages the client comes first, this is how you end up with evergreen clients who keep coming back for more. By using customer satisfaction and loyalty programs like Net Promoter to get feedback on the satisfaction experience from each and every client will help you grow a sustainable business with sustainable customers and sustainable profits every year, that's the evergreen clients way and the Zappos way.

The Zappos Difference

These are some of the feedback that I taken from Zappos site today as proof for you to see for yourself how evergreen clients are made.

I placed an order on May 2, 2013 and had some problems (due to PayPal issues, not you) and had to call to make sure my order was paid with the correct credit card. Brandi H. helped me, and she was SO nice and made me feel comfortable that the PayPal problem was resolved. We were discussing the order, and I shared that the shoes were for my daughter, who was graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University on May 10. She was so thoughtful and asked me to wish my daughter “congratulations.” This was a personal touch and makes me feel even better about buying from Zappos. BUT, to top it all off, she sent my daughter a flower arrangement with a note of congratulations from her and Zappos! I have never had a business be so personal in their dealings with me. I am totally impressed and just wanted to send you a sincere “Thank you!” for brightening my daughter's day—and mine! MARTH. A. 07/01/13

I am one happy customer! I seriously just ordered my shoes yesterday. I received an e-mail with a tracking number this morning, and it said my shoes would be delivered around 4:35 pm. So what happened? 4:35 rolls around and a “ring” at my doorbell. What?! Yay! (I know that part of the delivery credit goes to UPS, but kudos!) I have had to contain my online shopping experiences so that I do not become an addict, but when I online shop, I will be at Zappos.com! You're the only one for me. And if I wasn't already happily married, and it was physically possible to be married to you, I would be! 🙂 Thanks for your awesome customer service, prompt attention to order, and superfast delivery. Zappos.com for life!!SARA. R. 06/03/13

I just love the service you good people in the Zappos team offer. Your e-mails make me smile because of the fun way they are written, and the fact that you offer such an amazing service of paying return postage AND a 365 day return policy - truly awesome. You respond to things so quickly too; thank you! Team Zappos, you are the terrific! Happy weekend to you all.JANN. B. 05/20/13

I think you get the point, go check the feedback for yourself just to see what you need to be doing in your company to get raving fans and clients that keep coming back, it’s what we call evergreen clients.

Orders in any business go wrong, simple or complex but it’s the way and the culture of the company how clients are treated as pests or guests that makes the difference being just another company or providing a client experience.

Client End to End Journey

Having worked with businesses and mapping out each companies clients / customer end to end journey by an outsider is a very powerful way of growing your business through Evergreen Clients For Life. If you have sales of £5 million or more why not arrange a telephone appointment to see how much your company can grow by - 10 x times or more?

I would love to hear your comments and views on the subject below in the comments box.

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Moe Nawaz: Author - Speaker - Strategic Advisor & Mentor to FTSE 100 Leaders