First Impressions

I was not overly impressed with Nordstrom’s website. I usually like to find something a little more “passionate” about a company’s commitment to customer service, especially those with values coming from their founders. I didn’t find any of this on Nordstrom’s website, but I did find the fact that it makes it easy to return items that are purchased either in the store or over the Internet. This impressed me.

What began to impress me more, though, were the responses from Nordstrom customers who would tell me stories when I asked about their shopping experiences. I started by asking members of my audiences when I spoke. I even solicited Nordstrom stories on my website. They were small stories, not overwhelming instances of earth-shattering service, but they revealed a consistency of courtesy and customer interest that meant much to the folks experiencing it. Something was different about Nordstrom, just as with the other companies I was studying.

What I heard began to sound quite interesting to me. The following is typical of what I was told or written:

“I shopped at a Nordstrom and bought a couple of hundred dollars worth of merchandise. It was certainly not a large purchase to them, but significant to me. A couple of days later, I got a handwritten note from the sales clerk thanking me for my purchase and for shopping at Nordstrom. It was not printed with just a signature; it was completely handwritten. I am impressed, to say the least.”