You might think that the world’s largest Starbuck’s would be in the Mall of America or Seattle.
But it’s not.
It’s four floors plus a rooftop deck on the Miracle Mile in Chicago.
I was in Chicago recently. I like coffee. I like Starbuck’s coffee so I stopped by.
Even if you don’t like coffee, just walking through is an experience. It’s an exploration of the science and art of coffee and everything that goes with it. The entire second floor is an authentic Italian bakery. The fourth floor is a cocktail bar focused on – of course – coffee drinks.
It’s visually stunning, a sensory adventure, throughout.
It’s also a great example of one of the principles from the teachings of our friends Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore, the co-authors of “The Experience Economy.”
The lesson is that the leaders in the field of customer experience – such as Starbuck’s – are constantly innovating. If you’re not, your customer experience gets stale. It becomes expected and loses the key element of surprise.
Joe and Jim talk about 4S’s when it comes to maintaining a customer experience.
- Fix any “Sacrifices” you’re forcing a customer to make.
- Achieve customer “Satisfaction.”
- Develop “Surprise.”
- And to exceed their expectations, you must maintain “Suspense.”
Now, you don’t have to invest in real estate on the Miracle Mile to follow these practices in your business. You can do it every day with creativity and intention.
It can be small actions rather than grand gestures.
The important thing is that you’re thinking about it and planning how to maintain a remarkable experience for your clients and customers.
If you want to talk about how that applies to your business, book a time and we’ll share a cup of coffee, even if it’s virtual.
Cheers.