What Online Business can learn from Great Barista's

I am a creature of habit, I have my routines which help me maintain productivity and in my mind, bring structure to my day.

I buy a large Cappuccino with One Sugar at 9am sharp EVERYDAY without exception.

Now, I would not call myself a Coffee Expert, but as the old saying goes, I know what I like, and here’s the secret baristas – its only half about the taste of the coffee.

I’ll start with some background.

After moving offices recently, I needed to find a new spot to have my regular cup of liquid energy booster. I tried quite a few places, and found one directly below my building which was nice, made good coffee, and gave me a free biscuit – perfect, or so I thought.

Now call me greedy, call me unrealistic, but after going there ten times over two consecutive weeks (Yep, as I said, everyday), I expect the barrister would remember me and make my coffee.

Not here, like a sucker, like some stranger off the street, I was made to repeat my order every morning without fail.

Treat your customers like a good friend, and they will repay you with their loyal custom.

Coffee is a very much transactional business, so relationships are vital, and this has much in common with many online business I see out there today, and something I try to remember when I am dealing with customers-new and old.

The 3 keys to an effective online relationship are:

  • Interaction: Be accessible and personable to your customers. Be on all the social networks and interact with likeminded people. On your website, make the contact details of your business obvious, and encourage people to call you if they feel inclined.
  • Respond: When someone contacts you via any media, but especially email, respond as quickly as you can. When someone is looking at making a buying decision, a fast response time shows you are eager, punctual, and motivated to get their business.
  • Build the Relationship: Once a consumer has made the transaction, their relationship with you should not end. Depending on the product/service, email or call the customer at regular intervals to check how they are going with the product, and let them know about new offerings they may be interested in.

One vital factor in any customer communication, ALWAYS have a genuine reason for contacting the customer.

There are plenty more points I could go into, but those, in my opinion are how a business wins my purchase.  Baristas – Take note!

About the Author

James Richardson runs several successful online websites and businesses, and he is well placed at understanding what your business needs. For advice or just a friendly chat, call James direct on 0411 609 791.

  • http://www.jonstribling.info Jon Stribling

    Nice one James.

    The experience of going somewhere and being made to feel special, whether it be the local cafe, the pool, the bank, the suit shop is something that can build brands and put $$ in the bank.

    One thing I think you may could consider further elaborating is how this feeling of being a unique special customer can be replicated online. Amazon have been doing it for years by simply saying “Hello Jonothan” rather than waiting until I go through the tedius process of logging back in.

  • http://twitter.com/chakko chakko

    I couldn’t agree more, James.

    I have two coffee spots. One old and one new. I do actually think they make the best coffee I’ve had in Melbourne.

    At the new one the staff have started recognising me and perhaps soon they will know my name and what I drink. All of them greet me and every other customer with a smile. They are very attentive and patient. They are extremely busy whenever I decide to visit.

    At the old spot they all know my name, I know theirs, they chat to me every time as they make someone else’s coffee. We pick up where we left off, even though I can only visit once a fortnight. Sometimes they have to remind me what it is I have. Right now there’s no Bonsoy, so they know I’ve switched back to regular cow milk until, hopefully, Bonsoy comes back.

    These daily customer service experiences are among the best I’ve ever encountered across any industry and at any level of business. Yes, I think they make the best coffee in Melbourne, but I wouldn’t go back if they were rude or didn’t appear to appreciate my custom.

    How can great coffee people be so friendly when they start at 6am, work their arses off serving hundreds of people, many of whom they know by name and preference, in what is generally a thankless job with far less job security than I am used to?

    With the general exception of knowing my name, why don’t I receive this level of service when I am making transactions that involve significantly more time, money and emotion?

    EOM

    • http://www.optimising.com.au James

      Chakko-you have understood this perfectly-its the small personal touches that count alot when making repeat buying decisions, no matter what the product is.

      One online store which does quite well I think is Amazon with its suggested reading/viewing that is generated by other items you have previously viewed or bought-I think its this technology which is in a way akin to a barista-but something which is difficult to replicate online-this is the KEY! Whoever cracks it perfectly has a million dollar business :)

      James