Happy customers love to talk!
Yesterday, I went to a Starbucks just in front of my office. I’ve been going there since it opened almost two years ago. It’s not an everyday thing but I’ll drop by two, maybe three times a week.
If you’re like me, when you go to your favorite coffee shop, you almost always order the same drink. The baristas probably know you by name, or at the very least they already know what you’re going to order. For me, it’s a Grande Iced Green Tea without sweetener. I’m such a creature of habit – I can’t think of the last time I ordered something different!
So yesterday, when I walked into Starbucks and made my way to the cash register to order, I noticed my Grande Iced Green Tea was already waiting for me at the counter, a straw lying beside it. The barista (she’s my favorite!) must have seen me in the parking lot and whipped up that special green tea blend ahead of time to show how special a customer I was. Okay, maybe I’m not that important to Starbucks, but it sure made me feel like I was.
I don’t know about you, but I consider that to be great customer service. And it got me thinking that the basics of great customer service, and fundamentals for business growth, are remarkably similar to what our favorite coffee shops do for us every morning.
Which is why I’m writing this post about five Customer truths we can all learn from our favorite coffee shops:
- Know your customers! Our favorite baristas know what we like. They may have our favorite morning beverage waiting for us or know what we want as soon as they see us walk in. Shouldn’t we know our customers just as well? Are we doing what we can with surveys, polls, phone calls and social visits to learn how they like to do business, or how we can improve our service delivery?
- Be proactive! Baristas at our favorite coffee shops sometimes prepare our drinks in advance of our order. Because they know us well and know what we like, they can make suggestions to complement our beverage – a scone, a chocolate croissant, perhaps a new beverage. How often are we thinking about really fresh new ways to help our customers conduct their business better? Do we take time out of our busy days to come up with ways to surprise and please our customers?
- Make it a memorable experience! Part of what we like about our favorite coffee shop is the quality of the product, the ambience of the place, the friendly staff. If your favorite barista is not there whipping up lattes at seven in the morning it’s as if something’s missing from the morning. Are you making your customer experiences special too? Do you coach your employees on how to give customers a great experience? Are you giving your own employees a great experience that inspires them to do the same to their customers?
- Convenience is key! For all their wonderful qualities, we probably wouldn’t frequent a coffee shop if it weren’t for the convenience they offer us. Not having to prepare mocha lattes before work is a big plus for many of us. The friendliness, the quality of the beverage, the cool vibe found at our favorite coffee shop – all of that’s just the whip on the tasty caffeinated brew we order. How do you make it easy on your customers to do business with you? Do you utilize new technology to provide better service? Are you investing in product development or making sure you’re offering the products and services most in demand?
- Reward Good Customers! Most coffee shops have reward programs where if you buy a certain number of beverages you get one free. It’s not the only reason you go there but when you get a complementary café au lait you’re pleased as punch – or espresso. Do you reward your customers for their referrals? Do you show your gratitude to your better customers so they know how much they’re appreciated? Do you send birthday cards, seasonal gifts or comp them the occasional product or service?
As you can see, from the humble corner coffee shop comes some great ideas about how to make customers happy, and turn them into loyal shoppers with a tendency to talk about their daily caffeine fix with others. The same applies to how we run our businesses.
Why not think of your best customers then write down all that you do to make them happy and feel special. Can you do more? Or can you do more of the same with your other customers so they feel special too?
Maybe you should send each customer a surprise gift card to their favorite coffee shop. That’ll make them happy!
3 Responses to “5 Customer Truths Your Favorite Coffee Shop Can Teach You” Leave a reply ›
Dave, you're not the first one to mention the proactive customer service of having your beverage of choice presented to you by someone looking out for your needs - and always my instintive response is "what if I didn't want a Grande Iced Green Tea without sweetner today?" What if today is the day I had already decided on something different. Don't we run a risk when anticipating a customer's choice that our anticipation may be incorrect at that moment and therefore create ambivilance if not outright anger?
And beyond that - what if I wanted something different - how do I tell the wonderful person at the counter that tomorrow I may choose something different without hurting their feelings when they truly went out of their way to please me?
Good points, Laura.
We can indeed err if we anticipate too much. But I don't think we'll ever be resented for trying to please our customers by anticipating their needs. True, we'll be wrong from time to time, but our customers will know how much we appreciate them and that we keep trying to get better.
As an example, I love writing press releases for my customers. I tell them it's critical to post the press releases on their websites and on PR distribution websites in order to keep content fresh, improve search engine optimization and drive website traffic. So how would I anticipate the need of my customer? By knowing what my customer wants to say, and saying it persuasively - even beautifully - to get the desired reaction: leads, brand awareness, website traffic.
Do I sometimes get it wrong. Yes. But rarely am I faulted for my effort. I just try harder to get it better than right the next time, and the time after that...