Nordstrom makes it their mission to engrain ‘Nordy’ culture with every new hire – that culture is one that is truly customer-centric and willing to always go the extra mile.
A tale of truly customer-centric culture that is engrained throughout a company
By Nathalie Schooling
Have you ever heard of ‘Nordies’? It’s what the well-known USA luxury retailer, Nordstrom calls their employees. Not unique by any stretch of the imagination, lots of companies have ‘nicknames’ for staff that speak to the company’s brand. For example, Disney theme park employees are called ‘cast members’, Apple Stores refer to their staff as the ‘geniuses’, and Subway calls staff ‘sandwich artists.’
It seems to be a more common practice in American companies, and while it can be fun and enduring, it actually plays a big role in how the internal culture of a company operates.
The Importance of Customer Experience
Let’s go back to ‘Nordies.’ For those in the customer experience game, you may already know about the legendary Nordstrom tire story that dates back almost 40 years. One day, at a store in Fairbanks, Alaska, Craig Trounce, a store associate at the time, noticed a customer rolling a pair of tires into the store.
When he asked how he could help, the customer said that he would like to return the two tires, and insisted that he had bought them at that very location with a guarantee that he could bring them back to the store at any time.
But Nordstrom never sold tires? The retailer did, however, in 1975, purchase three stores from a company –Northern Commercial of Alaska, which sold everything from towels and linens to automotive supplies, which included tires. When Nordstrom took over the locations, it narrowed the merchandise mix to apparel and shoes.
Instead of turning the customer away, Craig wanted to do right by the man who had just driven more than 50 miles to return these tires. He didn’t know much about how tires are priced, so he called a local supplier to get a rough idea of what they would be worth. He then gave the customer the estimated amount, took the tires, and sent him on his way. Wow!
And that’s just one of many Nordy stories that get told. There’s also the one where a ‘Nordy’ ironed a customer’s wrinkled shirt because the customer was running late for a meeting.
Talk about going the extra mile!
Customer Experience vs Customer Service
For me, that’s really what excellent customer experience comes down to. It goes beyond good service, being ‘nice’ or accommodating. That part of the job is implied. It’s expected.
It’s about going out of your way to make your client or customer’s day better! It’s doing the unexpected, leaving customers with the feeling that they have to come back and do business with you. Better yet, they have to tell their friends, family, and colleagues about their experience. Why do you think these Nordy stories continue to do the rounds, even decades later? Because the staff made an impact.
This tale is not just about being customer-centric. It’s about the power of fostering a truly customer-centric culture within an organisation. Nordstrom makes it their mission to engrain this ‘Nordy’ culture with every new hire.
Your employees are your greatest ambassadors, so always start there. It’s the classic inside-out approach that never fails.
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