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Great Customer Relationships: The Coffeeshop Experience

By: Marijean Jaggers | 07/08/2008

In this week's edition of Newsweek, the reader-contributed essay My Turn (perhaps my favorite feature of the magazine) is titled "Closing Shop -- And a Life by Sal Nunziato." The writer shares the story of his life as the owner of an independent music store and the relationship he had with customers who he knew not only by name, but by musical preference.

He also writes of his connection to Erika, the Starbucks barista around the corner from his shop who took the time to develop a relationship with her customers.

"Erika knew me. This corporate java behemoth actually employed someone who found the time to learn and remember my name and my order. Erika (not her real name) was a rock star to me. She knocked seconds, eventually minutes, off my waiting time. I'd walk in and, boom, a latte was in my hand. A minor thrill, but a thrill nonetheless."

Once Erika left Starbucks, Sal did too, the challenge of starting over with a new coffee friend too exhausting to consider.

I have an "Erika" too. Her name is Ashley. Ashley doesn't just work at Mudhouse, my frequent morning java stop, she wraps herself in it. Each morning she describes the coffee I'm about to enjoy with phrases like "deep chocolate undertones and a rolling, fruity finish." Each description is like listening to a seasoned sommelier at a wine tasting. This morning she cheerfully informed me that my cup of joe was saving victims of genocide. For $1.90, I get a large coffee and a show.

Ashley has become my de facto co-worker. Since I work at home, I don't get the experience others do of seeing colleagues every day. I miss out on the breakroom chat, the coffeemaker gossip. Ashley makes up for it, often commenting on my outfit, asking about my day, my plans for the weekend, noticing when I get a haircut; she keeps me coming back to Mudhouse again and again. It's this kind of relationship-building that Sal Nunziato understood was why his customers came to his music store and why his latte at Starbucks was ultimately more than just a latte.

Listening to Ashley describe the day's offering of coffeealongside another customer, my fellow caffiene addict commented to me, "I wish I was as passionate about my job as she is." Every company needs an Ashley, an Erika, a Sal; and when a company finds they have one of these gems on board, they should reward them as often and as lavishly as possible. They're the reason we keep coming back.

Mudhouse photo via Flickr, originally uploaded by Jarsonic.

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