{"id":25545,"date":"2023-08-22T18:19:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T18:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/?p=25545"},"modified":"2023-09-30T14:41:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T14:41:06","slug":"starbucks-customer-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/customer-relationships\/starbucks-customer-service\/","title":{"rendered":"STARBUCKS CUSTOMER SERVICE: Best Practices Explained!!! (+ Free Tips)","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you want to know about some of the top customer service examples? Starbucks is always at the top of my mind when it comes to organizations that provide exceptional customer service, and here\u2019s why\u2026<\/p>\n

Setting service standards and educating your personnel to meet them isn\u2019t the only way to achieve greatness. It\u2019s all about cultivating a service culture that encourages staff to add their own unique touches.<\/p>\n

Consider this: by 2023, consumers will be able to handle 85 percent of their interactions without ever having to speak to a human. In today\u2019s SoLoMo world, customers are more likely to conduct their own research on your firm before contacting you, and you only get one chance to make a good first impression.<\/p>\n

Starbucks, the coffee behemoth, is known for its excellent customer service. For better or worse, the company\u2019s strategy has helped it gain global recognition. In a recent webinar titled, \u201cThe Last Digital Mile: Orchestrating Channels, Data, and Design to Thrive in a Digital World,<\/em>\u201d Janet Bailey, director of the customer service at Starbucks, offered some of her top digital customer service suggestions. We\u2019ll thorough those latter in this text.<\/p>\n

First off, let\u2019s start with the basics\u2026<\/p>\n

Starbucks Customer Service: Overview<\/h2>\n

According to a real-life story by, Franck Louveau<\/a>, Wei (his name is of Asian origin), his buddy, had invited other friends to join him for coffee at a Starbucks in Geneva (that was just before the COVID-19 restrictions). While waiting for his companions to arrive, he purchased a coffee and, as is customary at Starbucks, the attendant requested for his name to be written on the cup. Wei wasn\u2019t a well-known name in Geneva, so the waiter scribbled \u201cWayne\u201d on the cup. Wei politely corrected the attendant\u2019s mistake.<\/p>\n

He then sipped his favorite coffee and then thought it was time for a second coffee because his friends were late. According to logic, the attendant should have gotten it right this time.<\/p>\n

Instead, after giving Wei a second look and perhaps taking inspiration from Wei\u2019s attire (a well-groomed dark suit), he scribbled \u201cBruce Wayne\u201d on the new cup, establishing a link to the identity of the DC Comics persona behind Batman.<\/p>\n

That was accompanied by a complicit smile. The funny nonsense came to a natural conclusion with the drawing of a bat above the name Batman clearly printed on the last cup when it was time for a third coffee (the pals eventually arrived \u2013 \u201cawfully\u201d late as they say in London). As<\/p>\n

Frank would put it, that day, a superhero was revealed, and it was none other than Wei, a regular customer.<\/p>\n

What is Service Excellence?<\/h2>\n

A good service, from the standpoint of a brand or company, is the consistent delivery of what the brand has promised \u2013 whether it be a luxury or a standard brand.<\/p>\n

The level of service excellence should be judged in relation to the brand promise rather than in absolute terms. That is to say, in the instance of Starbucks, \u201cWe are not in the coffee business serving people but in the people business serving coffee,\u201d<\/em> in the words of its founder Howard Schultz. Starbucks places a premium on the quality of the customer experience, therefore both coffee and service follow a different philosophy: a people-centered approach.<\/p>\n

Does that make Starbucks coffee excellent?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Not at all! Different means that the service and experience are rated on their ability to deliver the experience that was promised rather than in comparison to other coffee providers.<\/p>\n

Consider the example of the cardboard cup.<\/p>\n

How can anyone expect to serve coffee in a cardboard cup with any level of excellence?<\/h3>\n

At Starbucks, a cardboard cup is not the vehicle of greatness, as a fine porcelain cup could be in another coffee shop. The brand promise is tied to the customer experience: a people-centered approach in which you will be served a coffee with your name on it, in your preferred flavor and size, and most of all, in a beautiful location. You can relax and wait for your buddies at Starbucks, work, or take your coffee with you and walk to your next meeting.<\/p>\n

In the case of Frank\u2019s friend Wei at Starbucks, I feel we can plainly see the employee going above and above. The staff could have corrected the name immediately away and apologized for the misspelled mistake from the start. Instead, the employee made the correct decision to create a one-of-a-kind customer experience for Wei to share with others.<\/p>\n

Service excellence, in my opinion, blossoms when the customer experience is one-of-a-kind, constructed with special care for the client or guest, emotive, and ultimately memorable.<\/p>\n

Read Also: STARBUCKS LOGO: Evolution, Significance, Branding Models & Tips<\/a><\/h5>\n

What we can see in this Starbucks example is not only the rightservice performance but also the right employee mindset, which reflects in results that are above and beyond expectations.<\/p>\n

Starbucks \u2013 and other organizations \u2013 provided a work atmosphere and service culture that allowed employees to not only decide what is best for the consumer but also to develop solutions for each customer in a specific setting that will provide a unique and memorable experience.<\/p>\n

And when it comes to managing service excellence, this is a crucial lesson to remember.<\/p>\n

Service excellence entails not just precise execution and operational aspects of your organization, but also empowering each of your staff to fulfill your brand promise. It\u2019s acknowledging that your brand\u2019s customer experience is a critical component. It\u2019s all about:<\/p>\n