CustServ: Customer Relations: The New Competitive Edge

Helping Starbucks Improve the Customer Experience - The Second Step

24 Feb 2008

Still in the spirit of Becky’s Re-experiencing Starbucks and John Moore’s Manifesto: What Must Starbucks Do? I am sharing here my observations about the mushrooming of Starbucks in my place of work.

Starbucks customer experience BusinessWeek Online has a feature about Starbucks on how to reenergize Starbucks now that Howard Schultz is back in charge.

About a couple of months ago, when I heard the news that Starbucks is in trouble and is closing down some stores, I was surprised. Because here in Makati, particularly in the Salcedo-Legaspi villages and in Ayala Avenue, Starbucks Cafes are sprouting like mushrooms. Almost in every corner and mostly about a hundred meters away, you see a Starbucks. Employees go to these cafes because of proximity from their place of work and are hot wifi spots. Thus, customers go there not only for coffee and the pastries, but also to hold meetings—business or otherwise.

However like that article on BusinessWeek, I fear that because of its rapid expansion, the Starbucks experience has been significantly downgraded. Like here in the Ayala Avenue, Makati area alone, Starbucks has become one of those convenience stores, and no longer carry that brand of specialty coffee that is expensive and classy.

Lesson to be learned:

Starbucks has to re-examine its vision and mission and deliver that message loud and clear. Are they the kind of business that customers go to taste its specialty coffee and exceptional service? Or are they the kind that go to where their perceived customers are and deliver lukewarm service?

If they have the answers, only then can they give their brand of customer experience incomparable to other cafes.

Check out the Starbucks Coffee near my office buildng:

Greenbelt 3 Mall, Ayala Center
Cristina Condominium, Legaspi St. cor Rufino St., Legaspi Village
Greenbelt 1, Paseo de Roxas, Ayala Center
RCBC Tower, 6819 Ayala Avenue
PeopleSupport Building (right in front of RCBC Tower)

Standard Chartered Bank The Skyplaza Building 6788, Ayala Avenue
Security Bank Centre 6776 Ayala Avenue
InsularLife Bldg. 6781 Ayala Avenue Corner Paseo de Roxas
The Enterprise Center, 6766 Ayala Avenue
6767 Makati Stock Exchange Building/Tower One
~~SGV I Building 6760 Ayala Avenue~~
6750 Ayala Avenue

Going straight from ayala to Fort Bonifacio:
San Antonio Plaza McKinley Road, Forbes

Nearby streets from Ayala Avenue:

Valero Street cor. Rufino St., Legaspi Village (this is the one in front of my office building)
Leviste Street, Legaspi Village (the road on the right of my office building)

Source of addresses:
PathFinder, updated by me

*Photo credit

Posted by meikah |
Filed under Customer Relations Management, Customer Service Experience, Entrepreneurship, Starbucks

8 Comments »

[…] in full swing with some new posts by Becky Carroll, Jay Ehret, Doug Meacham , Maria Palma, and Meikah Delid. We are starting to learn more about the changes that Howard Schultz is going to make to get […]

Pingback by The Starbucks Customer FEEDBACK Experience « CUSTOMER U - Where Learning About Customers Never Stops! — February 26, 2008 @ 11:47 am
[…] Meikah Delid from CustServ: “Helping Starbucks Improve the Customer Experience - The First Step” and “Helping Starbucks Improve the Customer Experience, the Second Step” […]

Pingback by Re-Experiencing Starbucks: Update 3 - The Training « Customers Rock! — February 29, 2008 @ 5:11 pm
I hear alot about Starbucks customer service, both good and bad. In South Bend, Indiana there is a Starbucks with the finest customer service I have ever experienced. This shop is located by Target at 1290 East Ireland Road. I have never workers so friendly and accomidating in any other Starbucks. They make it a pleasure to go in and spend your hard earned dollars

Comment by Jim — March 4, 2008 @ 11:08 am
Hi, Jim, that’s good to hear! I hope they stay that way. Do share more of your Starbucks experiences here. Thanks!

Comment by meikah — March 5, 2008 @ 3:22 am
[…] Delid: “Helping Starbucks Improve the Customer Experience - The First Step” ; “Helping Starbucks Improve the Customer Experience, the Second Step” and Helping Starbucks Improve the Customer Experience - The Third […]

Pingback by CustServ: Customer Relations: The New Competitive Edge — March 7, 2008 @ 1:52 am
[…] coffee shops are a dime a dozen. I’ve written before that here in the city where I work, you will see a Starbucks in every corner, every block, in evey building. And I would see these stores not really full most of the day. Good thing, the company that brought […]

Pingback by CustServ: Customer Relations: The New Competitive Edge — July 8, 2008 @ 11:25 pm
I have been a loyal starbucks patron for so many years now and I must say that they have the best coffees and mocha frappucinnos that my wife truly loves. She can’t have a great day without it, but my recent experience at a barrista in Los Angeles
(corner of Eagle Rock & Colorado) made me think otherwise. I recently had a coupon from one of many starbucks promotions of one free tall (12 fl oz). I presented it to the barrista and was told that they cannot honor it because it had to be presented with the magazine it came from. The cashier double checked it with I guess the manager or someone who was higher than the clerk…
I was told that the coupon was probably stolen. I just could not believe he said something like that. It was very embarrasing as other people looked at me as if I was somekind of criminal!!! I have never been so humiliated in my adult life. I hope that starbucks will have better training as to how to deal with situations like the one me and my wife recently had. We went @ that barrista on Sunday @ around 5:30 in the afternoon 8/17/08.

Comment by R. Enriquez — August 17, 2008 @ 6:49 pm
[…] Kind of Customers? 15 Feb 2009 As far as I know, Starbucks Coffee is the kind of coffee shop that customers go to for specialty coffee. To have pastries on the side, or books, or music, is just an added welcome […]

Pingback by CustServ: Customer Relations: The New Competitive Edge — February 15, 2009 @ 8:43 pm

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