Page 162 - The Starbucks Experience

Embrace Resistance

Beyond calming the customer down, the barista reportedly
advised her manager of the need, and the situation was
swiftly remedied. Similarly, partner Rick Mace adds,

I remember being so impressed with one of the man-
agers at the Pike Place Market store where I worked.
Her name was Allison, and she had a remarkable abil-
ity to listen to customers’ complaints and do something
about them. In fact, there was this woman who used to
walk or bike a good distance to come to our store. She
would frequently come in and complain, “There is no
place for my coat.” Allison listened and, on her own,
went out and bought a little coat hook. Allison put it by
the door with a big bow, and it’s still there today. In fact,
when customers ask for a tour of the original store, it’s
one of the things I am quick to point out.
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Why let complaints go ignored when you can use what
others are saying to enhance your business and the overall
customer experience? The ability to act positively on any crit-
icism is a crucial leadership skill. When leaders listen to com-
plaints, it not only helps customers, but models the behavior
that the leaders hope to see in the people who work for them
and with them.
Unfortunately, efforts to address customer concerns some-
times lead to new forms of resistance. District manager Ger-
ald Kyle notes, “One day Pork & Beans, an enormous
fiberglass pig, bigger than four or five people, was delivered
to the Pike Place Market store. Pork & Beans is actually cov-
ered in dark roasted coffee beans from hoof to snout; hence,
the ‘beans’ in her name. She was designed by artist Sandy
Nelson, a partner from our creative group, when Starbucks
commissioned artists to produce three pigs in support of a