I recently visited the offices of Zappos.com with Ponzie (see King photo).

We wanted to check out what was behind the legendary customer service of Zappos, so we went on a tour.

We were picked up in the Zappos shuttle from our hotel on the strip and driven to the offices in Henderson, NV. Our driver was wicked nice and made a great first impression. 

When we got to the office we signed in, ate some popcorn, drank some water, and then met Jonathan Wolske the Zappos Zealot by way of Oshawa, ON. Go Canada Go! He showed us a brief video he recorded about the beginnings and history of the company. Interesting and funny. This is serious business. Zappos.com greets roughly one thousand visitors a month (not including vendors). 

From there we connected with our tour guide Andi. She rocked. We visited the Recruiting Team, Customer Loyalty Team, the Cafe, a Content Team, and the Zappos Insights Team. Along the way we primarily learned about the culture of the company and how it is designed to make all people happy; customers, vendors, and employees alike.

It's no joke. It's the real deal. This place is more than a little weird but it works for them and their business model. It's really about making sure Zappos people are in the best frame of mind to take care of their customers because in the end that's all that really matters. We can all buy shoes and clothing from many other places but Zappos makes it fun, easy, and a good value.

As we continue to establish our BOOM! +1 Customer Experience at SwervePoint we can learn a lot from Zappos.com (#6 on Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For list).

SwervePoint is fresh and fun. We're authentic, professional, and creative. Our culture compliments what our clients look for in a supplier partner. We understand that B2B is different than B2C. We'll continue to learn from great companies like Zappos.com and make our customer experience the best it can be.

As I’m sure most of you fellow Bostonians know: the prestigious 46^th annual Head Of The Charles Regatta (HOCR) crew race was held last  weekend. The HOCR is the world’s largest two-day rowing event and is held right here on the Charles River. (Fun fact: the Charles River is one of the few rivers in the world that flows from south to north.)

EMC, one of our clients, was a title sponsor of this race so we had the opportunity to work with them on promotional items to be passed out at this event. EMC employees were in attendance at the race and were belting the lyrics of the infamous Standells’ tune “down by the banks of the river Charles, that’s where you’ll find me…”  EMC koozies and jackets could be spotted at every mile-marker; who knew that koozies could double as mittens on a brisk day?

Oh, Boston you’re my home!

A final ruling on the definition of the term ‘children’s product’ has been made by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): a consumer product designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger.

To put everything into perspective when it comes to a child’s age, Kevin McAllister, played by Macaulay Culkin, was only eight years old when he was left Home Alone. Kevin cooked, cleaned…oh, and he took care of two clumsy burglars who broke into his family’s house. While Kevin had to fend for himself, he came into contact with many household items that would not be approved by the CPSC: 

Kate McCallister: [about Kevin] He was in the garage again playing with the glue gun.
Peter McCallister: Didn't we talk about that?
Kevin McCallister: Did I burn down the joint? I don't think so. I was making ornaments out of fish hooks.

Fish hooks and glue guns would not be considered ‘children’s products’, however: youth apparel, games, and other SwervePoint items can help you get noticed by even the youngest crowds at your events, and in a safe manner I might add.

Happy October everyone!

Now that the dog days of summer are over, we’re going to be
updating the blog with weekly posts to help bring some ‘cool’ into your life
and transition you into the winter months. Those of you who live in warmer
climates: you continue to rock those Birkenstocks!

Speaking of dogs, we have Seamus hanging out with us in the
office today; we thought it would be fun to integrate “Pet-Day Fridays” into
the SwervePoint culture.  Seamus is
a 6 year-old black lab who loves the cool merchandise that we have displayed
around the office.

Do you know who else loves SwervePoint’s fresh merchandise
selection? InTown Veterinary Group. Located in Massachusetts, IVG values
long-term relationships built with their four-legged customers. Like IVG, we also
value the long-term relationships that we build with our clients – no matter
how many legs they have.

Ok so technically our
office is in New Jersey but let’s face it, it’s a lot cooler saying “our office
in New York.” We’ve established a strong client services team that goes by the
name “SPNJ or Spinach,” which is either weak, or a cute reference to their
Popeye strength. This office is cranking with some big client wins right out of
the gate. We’ve become proficient at riding the Acela, taking The Path, and not
turning right on red in “the City.”

Please excuse our temporary hiatus. 

We've been
busy getting our proverbial ducks in a row. 

It’s been crazy around here since
the beginning of 2010. 

New client wins, new office in New York, new faces
around the place, trips abroad. 

Lots to share.

We’re ready to bring the fresh
back. 

Sorry we got stale.