Employee & Customer Experience: Case of Starbucks
Now a day’s two buzzwords are making the rounds: Employee & Customer
experience. Infact both of them are interrelated and the recent events have put
focus on both employee productivity and employee experience. But employee
productivity does not necessarily equate to a great employee experience in all
cases. So a question arises as to whether an improved employee experience (EX)
contributes to a better customer experience (CX)?
85% of respondents to the recent IDC survey (IDC’s Future Enterprise
Resiliency & Spending Survey Wave 6, July 2021.) reported that an improved
employee experience and higher employee engagement translate to a better
customer experience, higher customer satisfaction, and higher revenues for
their organization. In another recent IDC survey, 30% of respondents said that
improved customer experience is an important business driver behind the work
transformation initiatives in their organization.
Case of Starbucks:
As we all know, café & restaurant experiences can quickly turn ugly
or nightmarish for some people. A small gesture from a worker inside a
Starbucks barista in Texas impressed a mother so much that she shared the story
on social media. The mother praised the cafe employee for his quick thinking
that may have kept her daughter safe.
When her teenage daughter was at a Starbucks shop on Staples Street and
S. Padre Island Drive a man came up to her and started talking. Strangely, she
didn't have any clue who the man was. At this point, the staff at the cafe
intervened to check if the teenager was doing fine. But the deed was done in a
subtle but effective way. The staff took an 'extra hot chocolate' that had a
note attached to it. It read: "Are you okay? Do you want us to intervene?
If you do, take the lid off the cup." The message was not written on the
lid. The staff told the teenager that taking the lid off would work as a signal
for them to intervene.
And this shows that company’s employee engagement initiatives are
bearing fruit, in terms of creating great customer experience. So, take stock!
A great employee experience leads to happier customers – and competitive
advantage.
