I am not a coffee junkie. I don’t have to have a caffeine blast first thing in the morning, though I sometimes enjoy a nice cup of joe from Starbucks or Einstein Bros. When I get that craving for Starbucks, I stop by this one particular location that takes me on a scenic route to work. In other words, it’s not exactly on my way. I stop there because the people are always cheerful, even at 6:30 in the morning (I guess it makes sense when you work at Starbucks!).
One morning on one of my coffee excursions I noticed that Starbucks happened to be promoting the Seasonal flavors of their instant coffee, Via. There are four different flavors, but they only offer them in single flavor packs of six.
I mentioned to the drive-thru cashier that I would be interested in a 3 pack, but not having tasted any of the flavors yet I wasn’t quite willing to commit to a 6 pack. Instead of simply saying, “Sorry! I wish I could help,” she asked her manager if it would be possible to put together a variety pack for me.
In order to provide a good customer experience, the manager said yes. I expected to pay for four individual packets, but the cashier rang it up at the cost of a 6 pack and used a $1 off coupon that I didn’t even know about.
It wasn’t until I got to the office and looked in the box that I realized the variety pack she put together for me consisted of two of each flavor for a total of eight packets for the price of six and $1 off! Now that’s what I call taking care of the customer!
I will continue to go out of my way to get my coffee fix at this Starbucks. The service I received there far exceeded my expectations. At a time when most companies are focused on quantity, they put their focus on quality. And, instead of trying to sell me something pre-packaged that was easier for them to do, they listened to what I wanted and came up with a solution for me.
Trying something different, whether a seasonal coffee or a new printable media, is always less risky when you have someone you can trust helping you with the decisions; someone who won’t force you into their box because it’s convenient for them.
