Friday, July 1, 2011

Customer Service and Judgement

Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale US department chain store (many of you are probably familiar with) that sells shoes, clothing, accessories, handbags, etc.

For years, the Nordstrom Employee Handbook was a single 5×8” gray card containing these 75 words:


Welcome to Nordstrom
We’re glad to have you with our Company. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your ability to achieve them.

Nordstrom Rules: Rule #1: Use best judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.

Please feel free to ask your department manager, store manager, or division general manager any question at any time.


During this time, Nordstrom had the highest sales performance per square foot in the retail industry, by almost double.


Today, new hires still receive this card, along with a full handbook containing rules and legal regulations that they must be trained on due to the changing world we live in. 


The lesson here is that customer service and good professional judgement are cornerstones to success.




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