Small Business Marketing News
Want Great Customer Service? Go To Starbucks
Written by Tim Morral
Published: 8/26/2013
Retail industry executives identify Starbucks as an example of stellar customer service in a changing marketplace.
Exceptional customer service is a hallmark of successful businesses, especially in today's customer-centered, multi-channel economy. By learning how to continually deliver great customer service and improve the customer experience, businesses large and small can rise to the top of their markets and create meaningful relationships with consumers.
Recently, Fast Casual reported on the importance of customer service at this year's Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit in San Diego. According to Fast Casual, the theme that emerged during the summit is that service -- not price, product or promotion -- is the key differentiator in today's economy.
"The world has become hyper-competitive. The focus is now on the consumer," said closing keynote speaker Lou Carbone, chief experience officer at Experience Engineering Inc. "We need to step back and become much more purposeful."
The summit also identified Starbucks as a good example of how retailers should respond to the shift toward a more customer-focused business environment, noting that for Starbucks it's about the total customer experience rather than just the product.
"If you ask (Starbucks founder) Howard Schultz what business he's in, he won't say the coffee business. He'd say the experience business," added Carbone.
In addition to providing high quality products, the best retailers and food service providers focus on timeliness, product delivery and effective problem resolution to create highly satisfied and loyal customer bases.
Additionally, the most customer-centered retailers go above and beyond to train their employees in more than just the technical details of the job, equipping them with skills that improve customer service and amplify the customer experience.
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