You walk in the front door, and see employees rushing to and fro behind the counter with a look of panic in their eyes. You patiently wait at the counter to place your order, but drive through customers clearly trump all. After a couple minutes, a barista finally acknowledges your existence with an abrupt, "We'll get your order in just a second." You eye the door, weighing the option of a morning without coffee against wasting time being ignored. Just as you point your feet toward the door, the barista requests your order. You rattle off the same order you place every morning, and although she doesn't realize it, you catch her rolling her eyes. Eventually you receive your coffee and head straight out the door.
Starbucks customers don't pay $4.32 for a grande non-fat, two-pump, extra hot, vanilla latte (although it is indeed tasty!); they fork over that ridiculous amount of cash for the complete Starbucks experience. From the time they walk in until the time they leave, coffee-in-hand, customers have certain expectations:
* To be greeted as a regular, even if they aren't
* To feel like their "personalized" order is not obnoxious (even if it is) or an inconvenience to the barista
* To step out of the rush of the day into an oasis (with coffee) for a moment or two of peace and calm
* To hang out with friends or a good book in the neighborhood coffee shop, not a cookie-cutter chain
This experience is driven by their mission statement in action: "When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers- even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. It's really about human connection."
Part of the Starbucks brand is their company culture. When a customer's experience in Starbucks is not aligned with the taste of the culture they have come to expect, disappointment and dissatisfaction abound, regardless of whether or not they received a perfect cup of joe.
What does your company culture convey about your company and its mission to your customers? Would a glimpse of your culture leave them satisfied or disappointed?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
My husband and I own Sozo Coffee Roasting & Espresso Bar in Ionia, MI. Our employees are to have the "Cheers" mentality as the customers come in the door. Yes, drive thru does seem to "trump" as you say some customer orders, but we acknowledge everyone and feel that as a drive thru "coffee shop" the customers knows quality takes a bit of time. If the drive thru has to wait a bit because the "instore" order is ahead of them, we try to make them both happen so no one feels they have been put aside. We say hello to everyone that walks in the door and we know our "regulars" drinks. Even as their cars are pulling in from the street we see them and begin the process of making their latte or getting their 20oz Medium Roast coffee with 3 spendas! We have created a warm and inviting place to get thier coffee!
For us it is all about giving the customer the perfect drink that "they" create. Being that we are not a "corporate" company-we are able to "roast" the coffee we want and create the drinks we want. Which means we ask the customer "what milk they would like" and if they want whip cream or not. We don't assume anything.
We are a coffee roasting company and a bakery cafe. We really feel that people don't just come to Sozo because they have to have coffee, but also because they need a smile or a bit of conversation to get their day going! Thanks Matt for your blog!
Post a Comment