Have you noticed a change when ordering your Grande Skim Chai Latte recently? Are you missing the sleeve on the cup? Was a mistake made, and you got whole milk instead of skim? Did the server seem a little more stressed than usual?
As the owner of a service business, I’m usually extremely patient with people. I remember reading Everybody Communicates, Few Connect by John Maxwell, and whenever I have an issue, I try to focus on what might be happening in that person’s day. But today, I struggled.
You see, we are Starbucks loyalists. I know—Ben Affleck and Dunkin’ have done a great job trying to woo us over (those commercials are really convincing!)—but that chai latte (ahhhh) I just can’t get over it. So, to Starbucks we go.
Today, I was in the car with Rency (my EA) and my puppies, stopping at our nearby drive-thru Starbucks on our way back to the office. It was one of those fancy drive-thrus with two lanes. I pulled up to my lane; there was no one in the other one, so I said hello. I patiently waited and said hello again. Then, someone pulled into the lane next to me after I had been sitting there for 30 seconds, and I heard the barista greet them and take their order.
OK, maybe something was wrong with this lane. So, I started to back up my car, precariously navigating the sharp curves in order to get into the other lane.
I pulled up to the second screen and said hello again. This time, a gentleman answered and greeted me. I asked him if the other machine was broken, trying to notify him—as a good patron would—that others shouldn’t have to struggle like I did. He informed me that both lanes were working. I asked, “Well, why was the other car served before me then?”
All of a sudden, a girl chirped in and said, “I can’t tell who comes to the window first,” and then stopped.
Uh, OK… I was a little taken aback by her tone of voice; this is Starbucks, the happy coffee people.
I placed my order and pulled around. The girl was at the window, and I asked her if she had heard me saying hello into the screens. Her response?
“I dunno, it’s really busy,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and exuding an aura of indifference—or maybe even disgust.
This was a teenager even a mother would struggle to love.
I remained calm and said, “Well, a simple ‘One moment, please,’ or ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you,’ would have sufficed.”
She became extremely agitated and said, “I did say I’m sorry.”
I responded, “No, you didn’t. You said, ‘I dunno.’”
She pulled back, got angry, and snapped, “I have a right to refuse service,” just as I had my phone out to pay.
Throughout this exchange, I remained very calm, trying to make this a coaching moment. Now, I’m a mom—I try to turn everything into a learning opportunity when mistakes are made, so I don’t get angry. Her 0-to-100 anger was not justified.
Luckily, the gentleman who had taken my order stepped in. “Let me help you,” he said and went to get our drinks and food.
I thanked him and drove off, but I’ll be honest—I was perturbed.
Not once did I raise my voice or act condescendingly. I genuinely thought the lane was broken. The fact that the barista used selective hearing and only responded when I mentioned the other car clearly showed me that she had heard me say hello half a dozen times—and had chosen not to respond.
When I asked her at the window for a simple acknowledgment so I wouldn’t have had to back up my car in a drive-thru (risking damage), she instead became defensive and aggressive.
This made me think:
Are we teaching our employees patience and the fundamentals of customer experience?
Starbucks has been known as the gold standard in service for years. But that was a coaching moment where a manager should have stepped in to support her.
In a world full of “Karens,” I understand why employees may feel defensive. But I was in no way acting aggressively or berating her.
I’m hoping it was just a bad day—I’ve had wonderful experiences at this Starbucks before—but this young woman was extremely agitated.
On days like that, a leader should recognize when to assign employees to the drive-thru and when to move them to making drinks.
We all have bad days, and that’s OK.
But how we deal with our emotions on those days is key.
We can’t always recognize when our mood is off—that’s why leaders need to step in and position their team members for success. And if a negative attitude persists, decisions on staffing need to be made.
At the end of the day, what lasting impression do you want your customers to have? And how do you help your team deliver that experience?
That is key.
In fact, I’m so passionate about this topic that we have the team from Unreasonable Hospitality coming to our annual conference, Build IT, to train leaders on how to provide next-level service.
I know, Starbucks—oh Starbucks—the birthplace of the Puppuccino and Mocha Frappuccinos.
If we’re returning to our roots as a local coffee shop, simply writing on our coffee cup with a Sharpie won’t be enough.
We need the same welcoming smiles and positive personalities behind the counter, too.
Here’s hoping. 🙂
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