To be WOWed or not to Be WOWed? is the question. When I was in Dallas at the eWomen Network conference, I had the pleasure of hearing Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, Inc. speak about the WOW experience. WOW is all about "Delivering Happiness". He spoke about the family culture developed at Zappos. It was refreshing to hear about a place that encourages: employee engagement, embracing change, and open honest communication. You can find their core values
http://about.zappos.com/our-unique-culture/zappos-core-values . Needless to say, I was very impressed and within 2 weeks I started to experience the WOW not by Zappos but by three different places. I should call Zappos just to feel the WOW effect. Better yet, let's start creating our own WOWs. I want to share these WOW experiences with you and why they impressed me so.
El Ranchitos Restaurant- Dallas, Texas
One of the nights in Dallas, some girlfriends and I went to El Ranchitos to have the authentic mexican restaurant experience. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere was great. Live Maraichi tunes in the background. Our waiter had a great sense of humor, big smile, and even brought us a dessert on the house as we could not leave without tasting the Banana Flan. It was yummy! Jokingly when we asked him to call for a ride, he pulled out his own car keys. We had a blast!
Lesson #1: WOW does not have to cost anything to give. Engage, smile and have fun!
Coeur d'alene Resort - Coeur d'alene, Idaho
From playing on the beach to walking the boardwalk of the Coeur d'alene Resort, you will soak up the sun and hospitality in Coeur d'alene, Idaho. My WOW experience came when Jason, a Sous chef, at the Coeur d'alene Resort stopped by our family huddle in the lobby to see what we were up to. My son and my girlfriend's daughter were trying to pull out some slivers on the bottom of their feet. Jason had security paged to bring the first aid kit. When security had not yet arrived, Jason had took it upon himself to go and get the tweezers and some bandages for our children's sliver feet. WOW! He was the sous chef. He did not have to do what he did but he did it with great style and excuse the pun - taste!
By the way, security arrived, the slivers came out, and the fun continued!
Lesson #2: Go above and beyond your call of duty!
Apple Store - Southgate Mall - Edmonton Alberta
My iPod touch was not functioning properly so I decided to take it to the Apple Store to have someone take a look at it. It could not be repaired and it was past warranty. Good news was - they could get me a replacement in 3-5 days. Within 6 hours, I had another iPod touch in my hands. Thanks to Justin, a very personable and open employee at the Southgate Apple Store. He was very professional and tried to find a solution to my issue. I had to give him a high 5! I explained to Justin that I had just finished reading "Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh and that the book talked about creating the WOW experience. Justin stated that they look for WOW moments too. WOW was all I could say! Full circle and Kudos!
Lesson #3: Over Deliver What You Promise and You Will Be Remembered!
We need to come up with ways we can make people say WOW! Businesses who focus on customer service can benefit from delivering the WOW! Each of us can contribute to this movement and make the world a happier place to be! Let me know how you practice the WOW!
Tony Hsieh signed my book with these words to live by, "Live in the WOW!"
Can you be a happier by paying double the minimum payment of your debts, cutting up extra credit cards (really, how many do you need?), or putting an extra $35 to your savings account today? Can you enjoy a healthier lifestyle by making healthier eating choices and exercising with a friend? Can you enjoy your extracurricular activities and meet your soul mate in the process? Of course you can - these are action steps instead of waiting...what if tomorrow doesn't come - you may come up with a new excuse tomorrow not make the choice to be happy in this moment. Love who you are and where you are right now. Make the choice to change the course of your destiny – be happy today. You are continually evolving into the person you were meant to be.
