Social media the Nordstrom way

While in college I sold shoes at Nordstrom (insert Al Bundy joke here). But seriously, it was a nice way to earn some money, especially when the Half-Yearly and Anniversary Sales came around. Highlights include selling a pair of boots to Kristi Yamaguchi and a belt to Joe Montana (both really nice people). Most importantly, the experience taught me the value of providing stellar customer service.

In case you didn’t know, Nordstrom is really big on customer service. They’ve written books on it, the stories are legendary including the tale of the “tire refund”. As an employee, you are given the freedom to do whatever it takes to make the customer happy (as long as it’s legal). I must have mailed hundreds of notes to customers—like the thumbnail used for this post—thanking them for their purchase.

I can’t help but think how relevant my Nordstrom experience is now with the emergence of social media as an unprecedented opportunity for companies to engage with customers. The tools may be different but the basic principle of “giving great customer service” instilled in me as a working college kid still applies today, social media just amplifies your efforts and missteps. The ripple caused by a bad experience now has the potential of turning into a tsunami (see United Breaks Guitars). But at the same time, in this increasingly connected world with so many ways to share our experience with a company, a little Nordstrom influenced customer service goes a long way.