Joseph A. Michelli

Speaker, Author and Independent Organizational Consultant

The Michelli Experience

http://josephmichelli.com

Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., is an internationally sought-after speaker, author, and organizational consultant who has been described as “catching what is right in the world and playfully sparking people and businesses to grow toward the extraordinary.” Dr. Michelli transfers his knowledge of exceptional business practices through keynote presentations that explore ways to develop joyful and productive workplaces with a focus on the total customer experience. His insights encourage leaders and frontline workers to grow and invest passionately in all aspects of their life.
Dr. Michelli recently was recognized by Focus as “one of the top five Customer Service Influencers to Track in 2011.”

If your prospective employer actively encourages weird behavior, then the chances are that you are going to work for Zappos, an online retail company whose unique culture is reportedly the key to the company’s success. Zappos has enjoyed a reported 38 percent growth at a time when retail in general is hurting. In 1999, a young entrepreneur named, Nick Swinmurn wanted to sell shoes online but struggled to find a backer until he met Tony Hsieh, a 24-year-old self-made millionaire who subsequently invested $500,000 in Swinmurn’s ShoeSite.com. Together they formed Zappos and decided that the brand would focus on service first and sales second. “We want people who are passionate about what Zappos is about—service. I don't care if they're passionate about shoes,” said Hsieh. In its quest to be unique, Zappos offered a 365-day return policy with free shipping both ways. After a rocky start where the company almost went bust like many other dot com start-ups, business suddenly took off to the tune of a three-year growth of 948 percent according to Max Chafkin on inc.com. Ten years later, Zappos boasted $1 billion dollars in annual sales thanks to its focus on customer service. Employees embrace the unique culture—they have to or they are not deemed to be a good fit for the company and loyalty is rewarded accordingly. In order to “deliver WOW through service”, the company focuses on its ten core values and company culture book that is updated annually. Even when Zappos merged with Amazon in 2009, it held onto its unique culture with Amazon’s full support. Both employees and customers report high satisfaction rates. New hires who feel Zappos is not for them at the end of the four-week training period are offered $3000 to walk away, but not many do. As for customers, there are numerous stories of customer service that goes way beyond expectations — and this is what sets Zappos apart from its competitors and keeps customers coming back for more. The lessons from Zappos are these. Zappos shows that happy employees mean more revenue. Zappos incentive programs are employee-focused. The Zappos 3000 dollar offer boosts team loyalty. Strong corporate culture keeps Zappos employees smiling. Lastly, Zappos has maintained their culture despite Amazon acquisition.