What effect are quarterly meetings and daily posting of performance statistics likely to have on the grapevine
Question:
What effect are quarterly meetings and daily posting of performance statistics likely to have on the grapevine inside Zappos?
Zappos (www.zappos.com) doesn?t want to simply satisfy its customers?it wants to make them happy, a major reason for its success as an Internet retailer. Founded in 1999 to sell shoes online, the business soon earned a reputation for delivering personalized, responsive customer service. Top executives didn?t pressure call-center employees (known internally as members of the Customer Loyalty Team) to follow a script or end conversations quickly. In fact, they encouraged employees to stay on the phone as long as needed to answer customers? questions, discuss merchandise, add a little chit- chat, and provide a ?wow? shopping experience. Delighted customers would tell their friends and click or call back for more ?wow? the next time they?re in the market for new shoes. By 2009, when it was purchased by the pioneering web giant Amazon, Las Vegas-based Zappos was beginning to branch out into clothing, handbags, and other merchandise.
Today, with annual sales surpassing $1 billion, the website features outerwear, beauty products, sporting goods, and many other items, as well as shoes and clothing for the whole family. In addition, the company has established an Insights division to help other companies understand and adapt the unique corporate culture that has given Zappos a vital competitive edge in the dynamic world of e-commerce. Zappos is so famous for its upbeat, can-do culture?not to mention the many opportunities for advancement available in a fast-growing firm?that it attracts 55,000 job applications every year. During interviews, managers ask offbeat questions such as, ?On a scale of one to ten, how weird are you??
The purpose is to determine whether an applicant has the personality and temperament to fit into a corporate culture where fun, change, teamwork, creativity, transparency, and personal growth are highly valued. All newly hired employees have to sign a statement confirming that they understand these core values and are committed to applying them on the job.
Delivering superior service with a virtual smile requires careful behind-the-scenes coordination. Every Zappos employee is responsible for performing specific tasks, supported by regular training plus optional courses to build new skills. Because so many orders come in by phone, the entire workforce (including the CEO) receives a month of call-center training, along with a week of training in the warehouse, to get a first-hand taste of the challenges of customer contact and order fulfillment. In line with the corporate culture, Zappos provides the tools and the opportunities for employees to become the best they can be. For example, employees are invited to meet with an on-site life coach for assistance in setting and meeting both personal and professional goals. They can sign up to shadow a manager or employee elsewhere in the organization as a way to explore new career possibilities.
Work hard, play hard is the rule at Zappos, where holiday parties, picnics, parades, and other special events bring employees together for a bit of fun. These are only some of the ways that Zappos makes the workplace a ?Wow? experience for its workforce. To keep the organization running smoothly, Zappos holds an ?all hands? meeting every three months. Videotaped and available online for repeat viewing, these meetings update everyone on the latest departmental and company news, serve as team-building events, and keep employees excited and inspired about working at Zappos. In addition, the firm monitors key performance statistics and posts them at headquarters to inform employees about what?s happening to the business, day by day.
Now Zappos is taking on a leadership role in Las Vegas, using its new headquarters in the former city hall as the corporate linchpin in an ambitious plan to revitalize the downtown area. Will Zappos succeed in making its community as happy as its employees and customers?