The Business-Technology Weave » customer service

A Model for Tearing the Weave: Starbucks, Safety and Security – Pt. II

David Scott — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 18:04:31 +0000

Here is my letter to Starbucks Corporate Headquarters. In a day or so I’ll post Part III – what follows the letter below was a bit surprising to me. Customer service, and general communication, is not what it used to be. I suppose we all know that, but I was still a little surprised at the broken process and ultimate result of my contact with Starbucks:

September 7, 2010

Starbucks Customer Relations
PO Box 3717
Seattle, WA 98124-3717

Dear Sir or Madam:

I wish to make you aware of what I believe to be an ongoing bad-business practice at one of your shops. It concerns the [address] location.

I do most of my work at Starbucks: I am a book author, writer (paid technical blogger), and IT consultant by profession. I am a steady customer: Some weeks, I am there working every day; other weeks minimally three times.

I have professional standing for both a complaint, and positive suggestion, that I’d like to make. (You may review my standing by Googling The Business-Technology Weave). Absent treatment of this complaint, I will have to find another location for my business writing. I do not wish to do that.

This past Sunday, September 5^th, I was using my laptop, writing my latest article for my blog, when I noticed a large pile of cash on the counter (to one side of the food display, opposite the cash registers). The pile was about 6 inches high – there was also quite a bit of change on the counter. The money was attended only sporadically, when a barista performed some measure of counting. In the course of my several hours of work, the money was there, and primarily unattended – I believe there was a period of at least an hour where no one touched the money at all.

I have noticed this situation several times in the past and a thought occurred to me: It would be easy enough for someone else to notice the situation, and time a return trip from the restroom, swipe up the cash, and exit the store. (In fact, given the regularity that money is unattended on this counter, someone could build courage over the course of weeks, and time a theft). I was the only customer seated in the back on this day, and when I left, the money was still there – making a theft even easier. There were three baristas (that I noticed) on duty, and most frequently they were bunched toward the front of the store, near the drive up window and the cash register opposite.

When I’m writing, I’m focused on my laptop largely to the exclusion of my surroundings. Thus, if the money disappeared, suspicion would fall on whomever was seated toward the back of the store: On this day, me. I decided to speak to a barista about it. I chose someone I know fairly well and that I speak to often.

Our conversation was as follows, and I assure you this is very nearly verbatim:

“Hey, Helen; may I make a kind suggestion?”

The barista answered “What?”

I said, “This pile of money makes me uncomfortable; no one is watching it. Would you be able to…”

I was interrupted, “Dave, I’ve been extremely busy.” The response was snappish.

I said, “But if someone was to breeze by and snatch this, I or anyone sitting back here alone would naturally be under suspicion. This situation makes me very uncomfortable.”

The answer was very curt, “I will take that under advisement,” and the person turned away – leaving the money yet unattended.

I left the store about 10 minutes later, and the money was still there. The baristas were again bunched at the front of the inside counter area, toward the drive up window. No one was even facing the pile of money, about 20 feet away. I don’t think there was even a direct line of sight to it.

If common and, perhaps, corporate sense is violated concerning the day’s profits, it leads a reasonable person to wonder what other violations may be transpiring at the store. Frankly, money is dirty and I’ve seen food and drink mixes prepared at the same counter that the money was directly on.

Please, it is not my intention to get the barista in trouble and that is why I do not mention the name, or even gender, of the person. I enjoy talking with, and the service from, Helen, Janice, Sally, Tim, Jerrold, Sharon, Martha and the other personnel at the store; I also know several other customers and enjoy the atmosphere. My letter is sent so that the manager of the store – Jackie (who was not there on the 5^th) – can train staff to a better level of standard regarding simple business security. Perhaps the manager herself needs training.

I’m not privy to Starbucks standard business practices, but is there no office in the back in which to count money? Is there not, at the very least, a table? Certainly there must be a private area, away from general public traffic, for the handling of large sums of money? That would be my first suggestion – and one that comports with common business advisement and secure practices.

Lastly, if a customer makes a good-faith suggestion, in the kindest of tones, service personnel should listen and at least be courteous. A snappish response was a surprise to me.

Clients pay me to advise them regarding security. My counsel: In the realm of risk, unmanaged possibilities become probabilities.

For the [store name] Starbucks, there already exists risk – of theft. It is certainly a possibility that someone can take the money – totally unobserved. Given the unmanaged possibility, I believe the risk of theft is too high for sloppy handling of money at this store. Given the economy and unemployment, the sight of money is too large a temptation. Large sums of unattended money also puts customers at risk. This practice is witless.

If for some reason you believe the practices at this store to be proper, or if you determine that my concerns are off-target or my observations of the 5^th inaccurate, then I need to know that so that I can make a couple decisions. Otherwise, I’d like to know what is being done to address the problem at this store.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns regarding the [store name] Starbucks store.

Best regards,

David Scott

Author

I.T. Wars: Managing the Business-Technology Weave in the New Millennium

Blog: The Business-Technology Weave

[phone number] (mobile)

Octorber, 24th: On this day in 1836 the match is patented .

Education and Qualification in the Weave – Pt. II

David Scott — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 21:02:15 +0000

Last time, in Pt. 1 below, I was talking about local businesses (local to me), and a few I consult with out-of-town, lamenting the fact that they were having difficulty finding solid people. This comprises just about all disciplines, whether they’re staffing their Finance and Accounting departments, Sales and Marketing, Retail Sales, Customer Service, production lines, general administrative support, and so on and so forth.

However, when it comes to IT it’s a problem on steroids, apparently. I’ve heard a number of disquieting stories: Network Managers who slide on nightly backups (unheard of in my day, unless it resulted in a firing), programmers who fail to meet critical deadlines for new empiricals (such as price changes, rate changes, incorporation of new data points, etc.), business analysts who fail to analyze, and (the real bellwether of organizational health) even HelpDesk personnel who fail to answer service calls with requisite regularity.

Further, there is a dearth of quality in the outside agencies that any organization relies on: value added remarketers (VARs); solutions-partners, contractors – even regulatory oversight agencies. Consider what’s now going on in the housing market, and the allied foreclosure situation. We’re suffering through a foreclosure-freeze due to bank paperwork that fails to meet some sort of measure. Of course, one could suppose it’s nice that some folks get to remain in their houses a little longer, but the chief problem here is that banks not only don’t get their mortgage payments – they don’t get the asset (the house) either. Further, when the foreclosures ultimately proceed (and they will – estimated to be in the Spring), the dump of houses onto the market will really tank things.

But I digress. Consider: It doesn’t get any more regulatory-dependent, oversight-dependent, details-dependent than a bank, does it? Who are we hiring, to what standards, and who the heck are we graduating to fill critical positions?… Details, details, details. It’s always those pesky details.

However, and as promised at the end of Pt. I, I have a few ideas for improvement to the situation.

First, a question: You know that feeling you get when you encounter an organization that “gets it”? Solid customer service thrust… a sound business footing… attention to detail… things done right, right on time. A certain excellence in every touch you have with that organization. And, a very certain uniformity: Everyone knows what they’re doing, why – and enjoys doing it.

That engenders a very good feeling.

That’s my encounter and feeling regarding my local Business Incubator. If you don’t know what a “business incubator” is, let me explain. It’s a program and a space to improve the chances for new, entrepreneurial, businesses’ success upon startup, to enhance their chances for staying in business, and to help enable their growth. There is collective community benefit as successful startups grow; employing more people, and bringing positive impact to their region through vigorous and natural stimulation of the local economy. Success begets success.

According to some sources, 87% of Incubator “graduates” stay in business.

As Incubator candidates must apply and qualify for admission, and because they benefit from advice and ongoing counsel from qualified business leaders and professional staff, you find allied excellence in these startups. Their ideas, solutions, goods, services, and ethics harbor qualities that match the Incubator itself.

I would suggest that established and successful businesses, as well as individuals, might get to know their Business Incubators, and rake them for any startups that might deliver the very services you’re looking for – to the measure of your needs and standards, and likely at a very favorable cost. Google “Business Incubator” in your town to get started.

Another suggestion as follow-on to that last post: Professional associations of various stripes abound, but a nice one to examine is the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). Locally, I’m working to bring students into my AITP in realizing fresh actualizations and relationships for everyone’s benefit, including my own. Not just IT students: Obviously, we need all manner of business students too – in tightening and freshening the general Business-Technology Weave.

Students who are otherwise knowledgeable often don’t know about groups like these. I’m on the hunt for the brightest and most motivated – they deserve a place to learn, grow, and as importantly, contribute.

Well, those are a couple of my suggestions and ideas. I’d like to hear yours. What can we do to ensure a qualified candidate pool for all disciplines associated with The Business-Technology Weave?

I think it’s time to get imaginative…

October 15^th: On this day in 1951, the television show “I Love Lucy” debuted on CBS television.

Customer Service and Associated Quality = IT Success

David Scott — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:41:59 +0000

Best IT success rests on what IT can deliver to customers. Customers can be internal; those allied people and business elements relying on technical enablements and supports – and customers can be those who purchase and rely on whatever business delivers to the outside: Products, goods, and services.

In the case of the latter, IT generally has more of a tangential role – granting and constantly improving business’ tools and opportunities for the doing of business, be it production and manufacturing, marketing, advertising, communicating, researching, educating… and so on.

When delivering enablement in service to business aims, the higher the quality and reliability of tools and services, the better the standing of the IT department and its associated personnel within their business berth.

As importantly, by bringing consistency and quality, IT can build a stock of good will “capital” in terms of credibility and sincerity. When a particularly hard project comes along, or something unforeseen happens such as the absence of critical key personnel, or perhaps an extreme crimp of budget that impacts go-live dates or scale of solution, the organization knows full well IT’s commitment to quality, speed-of-deliveries, accuracy of solutions, and sincere good will and good faith commitment to delivering excellence.

An important concept to remember: When vetting any suspect effort, ask the simple question: “How does this move business forward?” All activity in service to business, whether direct or tangential, must serve business and move it forward. The question is an effective puncture to suspect activity or conversation and in any specific moment, helps to refocus all involved, leading them back to the business of doing business.

September 29^th: On this day in 1951, CBS broadcasts the first American football game in color – between the University of California and the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia.