(PCM) Talk about dedication to your job! A Zappos employee has set the new record for the company’s longest customer service call which clocked in at an astonishing 10 hours and 43 minutes. Customer service rep Steven Weinstein answered the call from a female customer who required assistance with an online order for several items.
The pair struck up a conversation during the call and even after the customer’s issue with the online order was solved, she still remained on the line and continued to chat with Weinstein for several hours. Weinstein claims that he had an immediate connection with the customer and from the very start of the call the pair were chatting as if they had been lifelong friends.
During the nearly 11 hour call, Weinstein only took one brief bathroom break and a co-worker was able to deliver him both food and water throughout the duration of the call. Zappos is a company that prides itself on it’s stellar customer service and employees are trained to go the extra mile and create lasting connections with customers who call in for assistance. Weinstein and his customer spoke about everything from the best vacations they’ve taken to swapping stories about their childhood and hometowns.
Call-center employees at Zappos are encouraged by the the CEO to stay on the call as long as necessary to be sure that the customer has the best and most memorable shopping/customer service experience possible. Perhaps, even creating a lasting friendship along the way, as appears to be the case with Weinstein’s lengthy call.
Weinstein broke the company’s previous call length record set by Mary Tennent back in 2012 which clocked in at over 9 hours. Weinstein claims that he did not stay on the call simply to break the record, he just simply wanted to impress his customer and says they probably could have spoken for up to 18 hours if they truly wished.
