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Zappos CEO wows Interactive audience
By the end of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s keynote speech at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival, you could see the Zappos logo on computer screens and murmurs from audience members saying they wanted to start working at the online retailer.
Hsieh wowed the Web-savvy audience with tales of how his Las Vegas-based company went from zero sales in 1999 to over $1 billion in sales last year.
Zappos.com may be known for its superior customer service, but Hsieh said building a great company culture is more important.
Hsieh said what makes the online retailer so successful is spending much more time and energy on hiring the right people and focusing on the culture.
For instance, Zappos will pay new hires $2,000 to leave after the five-week training period as a test to see how committed to the company they are.
So what is Zappos’ culture? Hsieh said they have 10 core values, which include items like being open and honest and pursuing growth and learning.
Reporters and anyone else who takes a company tour is allowed to talk to anyone in the company, from the call center employee to a warehouse worker or buyer.
This is extremely unusual for a company - most don’t allow reporters to question employees without prior approval.
Hsieh gave a few great examples of his company’s focus on customer service. One customer once left $150 in a wallet she returned and it was mailed back to her by a warehouse employee. Hsieh said call center employees aren’t required to spend a certain amount of time on the phone or even make a sale. The longest phone call ever at Zappos was four hours.
And the best example was saved for last: A woman Hsieh encountered in Santa Monica wanted a pepperoni pizza in the middle of the night and she called Zappos to help her out. They call center representative gave her a list of five places she could order pizza. “If you get the culture right, most of your other stuff, like your brand and customer service happen naturally on its own,” Hsieh said.
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