The Starbucks Experience

How to Speed-Train Seasonal Employees

Tis the season for…seasonal employees. This time of year temporary employees swell payroll rosters, even if only for a matter of weeks. When time is of the essence (or is nonexistent), how does your business train these new recruits to be an effective extension of your brand during the boom of commerce that engulfs November…

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They Want to Talk – Do You Want to Listen? How to Learn from Customers

Does your business have a mechanism for collecting and considering customers’ insights? A good, old fashioned suggestion box or perhaps something more sophisticated? What do you do with customer input that comes your way? Principle 5 in my latest book, Leading the Starbucks Way, challenges businesses to both cherish and challenge their legacy. Honoring the…

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Customer Experience Musts – Telling us what they want

Customers have a huge desire to tell us what they want but alas many entrepreneurs and business leaders are more interested in telling or selling than taking the time needed to really hear their customer. Hold on now, am I saying that customers actually know what they want and are willing to tell us? MIT…

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How to Create Seasonally Relevant Customer Experiences

For many, the most magical time of the year is fast approaching. One indicator that we are on the cusp of the holidays is the presence of Starbucks’ seasonal red cups. The next several weeks are so often a whirlwind of activity with good intentions to stop and connect…but sometimes few opportunities to actually do…

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Customer Experience – Is it Care or Speed?

Recently, I shared a failed service experience I had at a sandwich shop and as a result several people contacted me and offered up what I can best describe as “service horror stories.” Rather than miring us down in those negative interactions, I thought I would simply do a series of quick blogs on what…

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Why having a heart for Military Veterans matters!

As we formally honor our country’s military veterans this week, Starbucks is set to hire 10,000 veterans and active duty spouses over the next five years. A classic win-win, this strategy enables Starbucks to capitalize on the unique skills sets of these highly trained individuals while helping to reduce the high rate of unemployment often…

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Challenging Awakeness – From Favorite to Former

It seems so trivial but it really is the “little things” that annoy consumers. I was at a sandwich shop recently where I purchased a $7 roast beef sandwich. After paying the cashier, a sandwich preparer advised me that they were out of roast beef and asked if I would like another option. My secondary…

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Tweet-a-coffee? Mobilize the connection

In my latest book, Leading the Starbucks Way, one of the five business principles I delve into is titled “Mobilize the Connection.” The quick version of the principle is that given our highly mobile society (and our growing need to have a smartphone at the ready) brands must not only build connections in face-to-face or…

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Meeting Customers – Your Road to Success

More than ever customers expect to have their needs met as soon as they ask. Actually, they expect those needs will be addressed even before they ask! In our instant gratification, “text message me,” “give me an app for that” world – winning leaders anticipate customers needs and don’t wait for customers to identify the…

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