Starbucks is a company driven by passion for product, people, experience and community- many of the same cornerstones of a typical Affiliate.
photo credit: KelvinSnaps via photopin cc
While Starbucks has been able to turn those passions into personalized customer experiences, intense customer loyalty, continuous business growth, profits and energized employees- the same may could be true for your gym.
The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary by Joseph Michelli is a must read for affiliate owners.
In the service industry, first impressions and personalities can mean everything.
A coach with unending knowledge but an inability to relate to clientele can sink a gym, and so can a cranky front office. Many would argue that customer service, or a friendly personality can’t be taught, but Starbucks believes that under the right guidelines, it can.
Starbucks doesn’t offer a scripted customer service approach, instead, they encourage their employees to follow a simple template that allows them to create a great customer experience, while also being themselves. A template that could easily be applied within your own four walls.
The company’s leaders call this the “Five Ways of Being”:
- Be Welcoming: Offer everyone a sense of belonging
- Be Genuine: Connect, discover, respond
- Be Knowledgeable: Love what you do. Share it with others.
- Be Considerate: Take care of yourself, each other, and the environment.
- Be Involved: In the store, in the company, and in the community.
At most companies, these principles may only be laid out in handbook or on a plaque on the wall. At Starbucks, however, they come to life. Share these 5 Ways of Being with your employees, embody them on your own, and you will undoubtedly create better customer experiences and improve member retention.
Amy Duchene and her husband Marc own CrossFit 915 in El Paso, Texas. They also have their own kid’s fitness company, CuzImABeast, that offers informational articles, WODs, coaching videos, and cartoon learning aids for CrossFit Kids programs.