The Zappos tour was quite an experience and totally worth it. It was a fun and inspiring learning experience. Here is a recap of my tour at Zappos.
Everyone involved in the tour was a pleasure to meet right from the get go. Zappos offers complimentary shuttle service to and from Zappos headquarters and we were picked up in the Zappos Escalade.
In the lobby displays the pair of shoes that started it all. When Nick Swinmurn was unsuccessful in finding a pair of shoes in store and online it lead to the start of Zappos.com.
The Zappos name tag ball named Lucille of the many people who’ve taken the tour.
Our first look into the offices and to the right you can get a glimpse of our guide Heaven, yes her name is Heaven.
A live sales map of products being purchased throughout the US. In another part of the office they also had about four big screens with live web analytics, which was crazy to watch.
Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s office. Zappos has an open office policy and employees can basically see anyone they want.
The rest of the tour included visiting various departments throughout the building.
In the fraud department we had the opportunity to speak to one of the employees there and learn how they dealt with fraudulent charges and charge backs. We have had our share of charge backs and fraud and it was great to see how Zappos prevents the situation from happening.
In the HR department we learned about their recruiting process and how they offer a buy out of $2000 to potential employees after they finish training to weed out those that don’t really want to work there. The recruiting department also spoke about the importance fitting into the culture and Zappos’ core values.
Zappo Core Values
- Deliver WOW Through Service
- Embrace and Drive Change
- Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
- Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
- Pursue Growth and Learning
- Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
- Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
- Do More With Less
- Be Passionate and Determined
- Be Humble
Throughout the tour you can see the unique culture that Zappos has built and how much it stresses the importance of customer service. The work environment is a fun and inviting one where everyone knows everyone. While I was there, I’m pretty sure I was almost hit by a Nerf gun lol. Even though the atmosphere may seem lax, employees are hard at work and take responsibility for what needs to be done.
The tour rounded up with a visit to Dr. Vik’s office, where I got sit on the throne where at Zappos I’m royalty. Dr. Vik is the resident coach at Zappos who helps employees be successful in personal and business matters so that they can perform at high levels and provide excellence in service. Zappos really takes care of their people and it really shows through as you make your way through the offices.
The tour ended back in the lobby where everyone received a Zappos Culture Book and a complimentary book from the Zappos library. The books are there to inspire the “Power of Service” and I’m pretty sure that they said Tony Hsieh has read all the books there.
Thanks to everyone at Zappos for the amazing tour. Special thanks to Renna, our guide Heaven, the Mayor, Pam, Dr. Vik and anyone else I may have forgotten for the great tour.
11/10/2009 
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