“First thing I need a little body work. I’ll put in a little time at the lab. If we could send one of your goon squad down to the Coffee Bean for a Starbucks run or something like that, that would be nice.” -Tony Stark, Iron Man 2

Customer Service in the Experience Economy

Just after leaving the Dale Carnegie office today, I stopped by the Starbucks on the other side of I-480. Sarah was behind the counter when I got there. I go there regularly and order a large coffee. So all she had to do was recite it back to me for verification: “Hello Larry. Venti Coffee?”

She then told me that the coffee was still brewing. Because of this small inconvenience, the coffee would be on the house.

While I was waiting, I knelt down and peeked at the local paper, scanning some of the headlines.

After a couple of minutes, I stood up and Sarah was behind me, holding my cup of coffee.

You could say that she could leave the counter and deliver my coffee because there were only a few people in the store.

You could say that I received preferential treatment because I was a regular customer.

I say it was a reflection of her entrepreneurial spirit, a desire to go the extra mile, and to build her customer base by sincerely making their customers feel important.

This wasn’t the first time a customer service event like this has happened here. Nor do I believe it will be the last.

Some individuals take personal ownership of a job or a task to achieve a desired outcome. They see it as their personal mission to make something happen.

How would you like to have a few of these people on your team?

What kind of impact do your team members make on production when they take personal ownership to achieving an outcome?

To Sarah, Jenna, Dan, Dave, and the rest of the Starbucks crew at Vista Way in Garfield Heights, keep up the excellent service and thank you for making 2007 a wonderful year.

Happy Holidays.