If a customer called your service department, how long do you think they’d stay on the line? We’d guess not as long as the record for a service call with Zappos: 10 hours, 43 minutes.

Yes, the online shoe, apparel and accessories e-commerce site acquired in 2009 by Amazon takes service seriously—so much so that it would “invest” in a customer relationship that in rare cases may take an entire shift for a single call. “We call it making a personal emotional connection,” said Jon Wolske, whose title is Zappos culture evangelist. “A lot of people say it ...