[youtube]http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=tFyW5s_7ZWc[/youtube]
A friend shared this YouTube video with me today. After watching it once and then again, I too have to say “wow”. It’s a video on customer service from Zappos.com. Here’s a great example of a company that will stop at nothing to deliver exceptional customer service, even pointing a customer to a competitor when their company was out of stock. And they would pay new employees US$2000 to walk away if they aren’t serious about what Zappos stands for. And a 365 day return policy? Wow!
The company has enjoyed phenomenal growth and all this was built on a philosophy focussed on wow-ing the customer. From eMarketingandCommerce.com:
The way we’ve gown primarily over the past eight years is through repeat customers and word-of-mouth,” he explains. “Our philosophy is ‘Any money that we would have spent on marketing, let’s instead put it back into the customer experience and the customer service level we provide.’” And it’s working: On any given day, 75 percent of Zappos.com’s customers are repeat customers, according to the company’s 33 year old CEO, Tony Hsieh.
2009 Update: In July, Zappos was acquired by Amazon for $840 million.
In an interview Entrepreneur.com did with Tony Hsieh following the merger with Amazon, Tony listed the 10 core values that defines the Zappos culture:
1. Deliver WOW through service.
2. Embrace and drive change.
3. Create fun and a little weirdness.
4. Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded.
5. Pursue growth and learning.
6. Build open and honest relationships with communication.
7. Build a positive team and family spirit.
8. Do more with less.
9. Be passionate and determined.
10. Be humble.
Nifty. I can embed Google Street View where folks can navigate around the neighborhood right here. Go on, take your mouse for a spin on these 2 google street views of where I used to call home and where I used to work.
Here is where I used to live. W108th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam.
And here’s where I used to work:
I’m sick today after a trip up north for our quarterly business meeting. Was it the stress from a turbulent flight or the powerpoint charts I’ve been subjected to?
We had work to do at the meeting this time – ideas to present, problems to solve and opportunities to seize. The chief thought it would be great to gather us into teams and make us compete on ideas. Two teams won and I’m told were mostly popularity votes or fear votes (vote your boss’s team first if you know what’s good for you). Funny but not wasted, they weren’t bad.
A lot of ideas came out that afternoon but every team’s presentation troubled me and this isn’t just from my peers alone. I see this 9.8 out of 10 times from contractors, consultants and ad agencies.
I wish people would stop the cut-and-paste of data from statistical reports into a powerpoint. A statistics report does not a slide make. Every chart on a slide should have a story. One story. Then simplify the damn chart and spare everyone the details. Distribute handouts if that .65% means so much. Don’t kill an idea with numbers for crying out loud.
And I wish i could tell them that quality of their idea isn’t filling up an entire slide with a wall of text. I can see their working hard but not working smart to deliver their ideas clearly. We win deals by selling ideas not word count or those multi-colored, bars + lines.
Bubble charts oh how I hate thee. Of all the charts in the world, bubble charts make me cringe. So I spent my sick day today studying charts, hoping to find a bubble chart killer. I found a few really interesting ways to present data graphically and compellingly. They may not all be powerpoint ideals but are interesting to study for their ability to tell a story with vivid images. Take a look from my Vi.sual.us widget below.
Bubble concept minus the bubble:
I about really useful bubbles:
Update (April 14, 2009)
Found Hans Rosling’s presentation on Ted Talks. Very impressive work with bubble charts. I see some good in bubble charts now, just wish the other people who loves presenting with bubble charts can make it as funky as Hans’.
I don’t know how I stumbled upon this site. Might have been one of those Twitter links. I normally scan feeds on TweetDeck, clicking on all the links I find interesting then get into Firefox and start going through each tab.
So I came across an ad from Carsonified.com. I found it so inspiring, I wanted to write in and say I’ll work for free.
Read More View CommentsServing the all-about-me customers has inspired Apple to develop products that are sexy, colorful and makes a statement of who you are but deep down, we know it’s really who you want to be until you buy the product and become a bit more cooler than before. That is why brands like Swatch have become so popular. They take one product and offer it in different colors or material, the function of the product is essentially the same. Customers love choices. When a product seems to have lost it’s appeal just a little and the guys at R&D haven’t found a breakthrough, this is also a strategy you can pull out of the hat to keep the market excited.
For example. something as boring as the Ku band dishes you see stuck to roofs and walls of urban homes. It used to be cool when your roof was the only one on the street with a dish. Now it’s like bleh.
Dish Art
I’ll buy a dish painted by my favorite artist or cartoonist. It can be autographed and numbered. Wouldn’t you like to be part of an auction on the single masterpieces that would benefit a charity or medical research?
Feng Shui Art
Anything that will enhance wealth, health and happiness will enhance revenues. If you get a Feng Shui master to endorse it, “They will come.” No Chinese in their right minds will not want to tip the needle of fortune in their favor.
HahaArt
If you’re the regular joker, you might not want a bat pager. Then again, life won’t be fun without batman, so why so serious, get this glow-in-the-dark bat pager and have a good laugh.
What would you put on your dish
if you have a choice.
Inspired by: The Dark Knight.
One fine day, when I open my online music store (reading “The Secret” for the 101 time) I will offer Hokkien Karaoke videos people can download for a small price. HD quality don’t play play. If there’s any song we don’t have a video for, my production crew (part time dangdut porn production house) will go to Lake Gardens in KL or Penang Hill with a Hokkien couple from Klang or Pulau Tikus and shoot a Karaoke video of your favorite song. If you want us to shoot you, also can. We have an arrangement with JonLow Bridal Palace and they have the loveliest gowns in colors that will bring out the color of your, err, eye shadow.
We also have other services. We can translate Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” into Hokkien for you. “O Solo Mio” also got (search under Eh, Siao Ah Mai). Unlimited karaoke music video on demand (Premium “Kah Liew” Package) or streaming video (Unlimited Access Monthly Pass – our most popular package).
If you have the Pasar Malam decoder mentioned in the post below titled “The IPTV Race”, you just register for an account here. Then plug and play lor.
We also carry an extensive collection of cordless Karaoke microphones. Made in China but German engineered and Amercian designed. No assembly required. 1 month guarantee. This is a very special product. It has near surround sound quality speakers and comes with 1G internal memory (expandable to 4G). You can download your favorite Hokkien tune from my website straight into the microphone with a USB plug that is also built into the mic, just push a button and the USB plug will pop out. There’s also an LCD screen on the side to display your lyrics. With this mic, you can take your favorite Hokkien Top 20s on the road. At home, you can connect it to your set top box or your PC with a bluetooth receiver (sold separately). Guarantee, your whole family will like.
Coming soon: Waterproof cordless mic.
photo credit: SuperFantastic