Getting off the Zappos short bus….ready to begin our tour!  

My ZAPPOS Experience!!

If what they say is true and the people make the company…thenZappos has it right because it is made up of great people! Great people in a great environment striving to offer their customers the best shoe shopping experience they can.  Zappos allows their employees to express themselves and  they not only accepts, but respects their personalities and we got to experience it first hand when Julia took Anedie and me to the offices during our trip to Vegas!

Our VIP Zappos tour was fun, fun, fun! Our guide was Jerry Tidmore, the “Mayor” of Zappos and Mike Normart, the Sr. Director of Brand Development tagged along as well. Since he writes for us, we were so excited to meet him and he was also kind enough to set our visit up.  The guys were hilarious! Mike said he usually doesn’t do tours but he told me, “when Julia said two models were coming I couldn’t miss it.”  At least he is honest!  

Jerry was a great tour guide and he had so much to teach us. He clearly is passionate about his job and Zappos!  He has spent his  whole life in the footwear industry, starting at his parents shoe store. Then he made his way to Nordtrom’s  where he held positions in  manegement, sales and buying.  It’s interesting because there are a lot of employees at Zappos who came from Nordtroms….including Mike.  

Mike Normart, Anedie, Jerry Tidmore and me

You might be wondering why we were dressed the way we were for our tour…..well Julia had the idea to dress Anedie and me  as crazy and colorful as Zappos . Guess what she had Anedie and I wear all day?? Julia’s JULIA VELI Paper Couture! Fits pretty well with the ambiance at Zappos doesn’t it? Excited to get started, Jerry grabbed the Zappos flag and we made our way to the second floor where  we started from what is usually the end of the tour and went in reverse. One of the first things I noticed, was the nap room which I fell in love with!  I want a job that I can take a 15-20 minute nap in the middle of the day…oh wait I do. ;)  Then there was the VIP room, I felt like a princess just like Anedie under Julia’s kingdom (check out the throne and crowns) for our mandatory tour picture. They have all the pictures from every person who has visited, including their employees posted on the wall. We found Mikes and it was awesome! What a great idea and so fun!

Me, Julia and Anedie being treated like royalty

Another very interesting area of their office is Monkey Row which feels just like a jungle and  is where all the executives sit.  The cool thing is, there are no doors. Such a nice policy, everyone is treated on the same way. Ah! I had the privilege of meeting Tony Hsieh, the CEO of the jungle. He seemed a little puzzled as to why us girls were sitting in his chair and taking pictures, but he was friendly, didn’t really ask why and said hello. We also got to meet his dad who also works for Zappos. He handles a lot of their international business and he also was very sweet. He even took a picture with us, but unfortunately it came out blurry and we are not able to post it.

Julia giving Anedie a good talking to, although doesn’t seem like she’s listening.

As we talked with Jerry and Mike about the customer experience which they are so proud of. One of the things I found interesting was the way they handle their calls that come into the call center. It seems a lot of companies give their customer service reps a long list of things to say, well at Zappos, it’s different. They teach them a few lines and the rest is about making the customer smile.

When answering the phone they say 3 things:

- Thanks for calling Zappos.

- I’m John (for example).

- How may I help you?

And by the end of the call another 3 things are asked:

-Did you have a good experience with us?

-Would you shopping again with us?

-Would you tell people about us?

I think this is great and also great is that ALL of the employees are trained to take calls in the call center and volunteer throughout the year for a couple weeks at a time no matter what their position is! Seems like a wonderful opportunity to teach everyone about how good it is to make sure people are treated nicely.  

I was  also very pleased to find that Zappos has  10 core values that they apply to business and encourage their employees to follow  in their personal lives. These 10 values are an amazing idea and everyone should be able to take at least something away from them. My favorites are 4, 9 and 10. I can’t pick only one.

Zappos Core Values

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

Zappos has a very homey feeling and it seems like such a fun place to work! A place where people can craft their own ideas, make their own pirate ships, “treehouse” in a jungle, put up a tent and decorate everywhere with their own creativity.  We truly had a wonderful time and I could write a whole lot more if I had the time, but I ahve to go to a casting now. I know everyone one of their employees must  just love it there! What a great company! Cheers to Zappos and thank you to Jerry and Mike for being our awesome guides!

Below are more pictures for you to enjoy:

Me, Jerry, Casey (Julia placed her at Zappos 2 years ago, but this was their first time meeting. She loves her job and they love her which is great!), Julia and Anedie

having fun…

so fun…

this dress was made from tape … Julia was checking it out

our crowns….they also measure the feet!