I pull the social media card sparingly when I have to. As a business owner, I often cringe when I see a customer publicly flog a company online. Especially when it’s a policy and typically not the fault of the poor customer service representative. CSRs don’t often make the rules; normally, someone higher up and a little out of reach handles those things.
In this case, though, I have to share this incident publicly because it points to issues many companies struggle with regarding social media. It’s not just any company. It’s a strong brand with significant profit margins. That means they can afford to listen and correct this issue to improve their social media standing across their customer base.
The Incident
This weekend, I made the trek back from Florida to Indiana. It’s a trip I take each quarter, and I enjoy the quiet drive, the scenery, and the time spent thinking about things. I’m a coffee fanatic (Starbucks may be startled if they see our annual budget for our small company on our Starbucks card) and often schedule my stops in line with where there’s a Starbucks on an upcoming exit.
In McDonough, GA, I exited I-75 and drove a few miles to a Starbucks. When I entered the store, I entered the men’s room and was shocked. The trash was overflowing, and the floor was covered. I’m not going to describe the scent, just that it was obviously long overdue. It’s not that I don’t expect a bathroom nearby a busy highway to be spotless… but this wasn’t a gas station, it was my beloved Starbucks.
I stood in line and watched one barista handle the drive-through and another run around crazy, keeping up with the line. I counted five additional employees standing around doing nothing. After receiving my drink, I went to a table, and it looked like it hadn’t been wiped in hours. Straw wrappers and napkins were littering the floor between spill marks. I groaned and went outside, where I took this photo and shared it on Twitter.
I didn’t get a response, but another follower chimed in and asked where Starbucks was located… so I answered him and included Starbucks.
My original Tweet was at 2:11 PM. Starbucks finally responded at 4:09 PM:
Ugh. I never responded.
The Correction
Perhaps with the holiday season, Starbucks’s social media folks were too busy to pay attention to my tweet. It’s just one tweet. Well, sort of. Of all the people who visited that filthy store that day, was I the only one who notified them of an issue?
How many non-Buckees walked in and walked out with this store as their first impression? How many of my followers have lost a little faith in the brand they loved? How many of both now look for another coffee shop on the road instead of Starbucks because the consistency of their beautiful stores has now been disrupted? I know I won’t be going to that particular store soon.
Here’s what I would have loved to see in a response from Starbucks:
We’re concerned, called the store manager. DM me so we can make it up to you. Jason
It wouldn’t have been difficult to find the store; you can use the Starbucks app or their store locator:
The Solution
For Starbucks and any other company that is monitoring social media, here are the lessons learned:
- Response Time: As I was sitting in Starbucks, it would have been great to have gotten a response. Two hours later, they showed me they don’t care.
- Empowerment: Did your social media person really ask me to email someone? Why weren’t you empowered to contact the store manager yourself?
- Alleviate: It’s not always possible for companies to make up for a mistake, but they can alleviate the issue by showing some appreciation. Providing me a credit on my Starbucks card would have been fine.
- Personalize: We all hate nameless brands. It would have been engaging and personal to sign off with your name (I just guessed a name).
I’m still a Starbucks fan and hope they listen to this feedback and improve their social monitoring process.
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