Give Them the Water

I was satisfied by my old dry cleaner but circumstances prompted a change, so I was in the market for a new one.  I stopped at several local businesses but most did not accept my preferred form of payment.  Finally, a dry cleaner that accepts American Express — but how will the rest of the drop off experience go? After a very “easy and efficient” process, and engagement by courteous and personal staff, I was offered a bottle of water before I left.

Ok, I know that the bottle of water is a nominal investment for that business (and I am paying for it somewhere in my dry cleaning bill) but the gesture goes a long way to suggesting that this business anticipates the needs of it’s customers.

My new book about Zappos (The Zappos Experience is off the presses and getting ready to be shipped for an “in-store” launch date of October 15th.  In the days ahead, this blog will focus on the little things (like bottles of water) and much bigger things that Zappos also does to create a rich employee, vendor, and customer experience.

Sometimes it’s just as simple as “giving them the water.”