Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
↑
139
↓
Customer Connection Scores, How Do They Actually Benefit Us, The Baristas? VENTI Rant. (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by MonstrousGiggling
Like is there any real point for us to give a shit about the customer connection scores? What's our incentive? Do the store managers get a bonus if we have a high CC score?
Do we the workers get anything from it? Or just "bragging rights" that our store has a high CC score?
I'll gladly connect with customers because it's what I love about customer service jobs but the way the scores are even done is nonsensical through the surveys that hardly anyone does or notices.
Why do we as already overworked employees need to add another worry to our job if we dont even benefit from it.
Like damn at least give us some bonus stars on our accounts so I can get my friends some free drinks.
I love making a customer smile or laugh because for all we know their day could be going awful and being able to spread the love is magical.
But when you try to scale it to make your business look better than it is, and then stress and blame your employees for low scores, its honestly sickening.
Do we the workers get anything from it? Or just "bragging rights" that our store has a high CC score?
I'll gladly connect with customers because it's what I love about customer service jobs but the way the scores are even done is nonsensical through the surveys that hardly anyone does or notices.
Why do we as already overworked employees need to add another worry to our job if we dont even benefit from it.
Like damn at least give us some bonus stars on our accounts so I can get my friends some free drinks.
I love making a customer smile or laugh because for all we know their day could be going awful and being able to spread the love is magical.
But when you try to scale it to make your business look better than it is, and then stress and blame your employees for low scores, its honestly sickening.
mierecat 108 points 3y ago
Here are my problems with the system:
• Scores are Pass/Fail with an extremely high bar. Anything below a 7 is considered a failure, which means a store could have an average 6/7 customer connection score, with good relationships between regulars and baristas, but corporate will still act as if 80% of customers are treated like garbage.
• This is an inaccurate metric to begin with. We’re not polling all customers, just the ones with Starbucks accounts. Of those, only the ones who can be bothered will actually take the survey if there’s no incentive to do so. At that, people are more likely to do surveys if they’re displeased about some aspect, not the other way around. If that weren’t skewed enough, the question is vague: “Did the barista make an effort to get to know me?” Even if the answer is 100% “No” that doesn’t necessarily mean the experience suffered at all.
• As OP said there is literally no incentive to spend extra time socializing, especially when Starbucks is literally a fast food restaurant that likes to pretend it’s something more. We have long lines, stupidly complex drinks and impatient customers. Customer Connection Scores is the long game, but most of the time a team’s goal is to just survive the shift. If Starbucks actually wanted genuine connections, they’d take that 30 million dollar bonus our CEO didn’t earn and invest it into labor. They don’t care though, they just want a bullshit excuse to squeeze as much work out of their employees as possible under the guise of prioritizing the “Starbucks Experience”
• Scores are Pass/Fail with an extremely high bar. Anything below a 7 is considered a failure, which means a store could have an average 6/7 customer connection score, with good relationships between regulars and baristas, but corporate will still act as if 80% of customers are treated like garbage.
• This is an inaccurate metric to begin with. We’re not polling all customers, just the ones with Starbucks accounts. Of those, only the ones who can be bothered will actually take the survey if there’s no incentive to do so. At that, people are more likely to do surveys if they’re displeased about some aspect, not the other way around. If that weren’t skewed enough, the question is vague: “Did the barista make an effort to get to know me?” Even if the answer is 100% “No” that doesn’t necessarily mean the experience suffered at all.
• As OP said there is literally no incentive to spend extra time socializing, especially when Starbucks is literally a fast food restaurant that likes to pretend it’s something more. We have long lines, stupidly complex drinks and impatient customers. Customer Connection Scores is the long game, but most of the time a team’s goal is to just survive the shift. If Starbucks actually wanted genuine connections, they’d take that 30 million dollar bonus our CEO didn’t earn and invest it into labor. They don’t care though, they just want a bullshit excuse to squeeze as much work out of their employees as possible under the guise of prioritizing the “Starbucks Experience”
MonstrousGiggling [OP] 31 points 3y ago
Yes exactly 100% accurate. You also said it 100% more eloquently than I could have.
My store gets mostly older folks and college kids. These two demographics arent exactly the best for surveys. The older folk are just able to figure out how to use the basic app and let's be real the college kids have waaay more important time consuming things to be focused on.
They should at least offer extra stars to people who take the surveys or something.
My store gets mostly older folks and college kids. These two demographics arent exactly the best for surveys. The older folk are just able to figure out how to use the basic app and let's be real the college kids have waaay more important time consuming things to be focused on.
They should at least offer extra stars to people who take the surveys or something.
s_ingramsm 2 points 3y ago
I thought they used to offer 25 stars if they did, what made then change that?
MonstrousGiggling [OP] 3 points 3y ago
I read elsewhere its 75? Not sure but its apparently still not enough to make the majority of customers do them.
Then as someone else stated anything under 6 or 7 is deemed as bad and then a lot of the choices are kind of skewed. Like you have to answer about the food despite not ordering any and if you skip it it then counts as a negative mark.
Then as someone else stated anything under 6 or 7 is deemed as bad and then a lot of the choices are kind of skewed. Like you have to answer about the food despite not ordering any and if you skip it it then counts as a negative mark.
s_ingramsm 2 points 3y ago
Oh yeah I agree, I just wasn’t sure how they’ve restructured the incentives. I think that changing the metrics of it sucks
[deleted] -6 points 3y ago
[removed]
[deleted] 8 points 3y ago
[removed]
[deleted] -5 points 3y ago
[removed]
[deleted] 5 points 3y ago
[removed]
retrolesbogamer 42 points 3y ago
The way my sm explained it was connections=sales=hours. Which i also think is kinda bullshit, but it makes sense i guess? The biggest issue i have with it all is that sales go towards same day, next year hours. It wont even affect total labor allowances for any time soon. Its all a ploy to get us to suck customer dick more than we already have to.
MonstrousGiggling [OP] 23 points 3y ago
I just feel like it's so untrue though. Connections dont equal sales from my view and mostly due to how the connection score is tallied through the surveys that many people ignore. As you said its pretty clearly a ploy to connect with our customers dicks.
TheBigGrapefruit 13 points 3y ago
Which makes total sense when you're being pressured to keep under 45-second drive thru times during peak lol
SeanOD505 15 points 3y ago
Store with highest customer connection scores in my district gets t shirts but our espresso machines break down at least once a week 🙂🙂🙂
ashley-leigh 6 points 3y ago
Our mastrena has been acting up and they came to “fix” it, but it sometimes won’t stop steaming at all until you manually turn it off, and pulling horrible shots and yet they still want us to give out those gross espresso shots to customers who are paying lots of money and they’re the ones taking the surveys and answering questions like “was the quality of the beverage worth what you paid?” Like give us espresso machines that actually work!
Hound-Dog-1917 15 points 3y ago
Keep your DM and your SM off your ASS. 😜
MonstrousGiggling [OP] 10 points 3y ago
Lmfao unfortunately true.
JustForBrowsing 13 points 3y ago
Nope. Just a "competition" between stores to increase profit that us baristas never see any part of.
Koalastars009 9 points 3y ago
True! You get paid the same rate when it’s busy or slow. Maybe a national “baristas don’t spend your money at Starbucks” week would work lol
tragicalyhappy 6 points 3y ago
Yea this only benefits managers and up. It doesn't mean jack shit to the employees who actually have to build those connections! This company doesn't really believe in ACTUAL PRACTICAL INCENTIVES! We don't even get fucking pins anymore let alone a fucking bonus...
Imnewtoit 6 points 3y ago
In theory, the connection a barista has with a customer could result in a "relationship". We have a 2 competitors within 1/4 mile in either direction from us. The connection/relationship with that customer could influence their decision of stopping there for coffee or coming to your store.
MonstrousGiggling [OP] 26 points 3y ago
Yea but what's the incentive for employees who are already overworked to then make connections a priority? Hell less connection = less customers honestly doesnt sound the worst considering we are so understaffed.
giantechidna 18 points 3y ago
It's almost like turning human connection into numerical system with incredibly high standards isn't really logical or an accurate reflection of what's happening in-store? But like, go off Starbucks I guess. Like why bother talking to them about what we're both interested in naturally, when I could follow a script based off the survey to get more dumb made up points?
potterlyfe 5 points 3y ago
I get that happy customers=more sales= more labor but the thing is;
1. All that extra labor we may be earning is sure as hell not making it into my schedule. We constantly feel understaffed AND apparently my whole district is on a hiring spree so the staff that is at our store struggles getting more then 16 hours a week.
2. This whole bullshit of finding your purpose and transcending the customer experience is total crap. I can provide good customer service but don’t waste my time with training like raising our cc score is akin to curing cancer. We are a fast food joint. I am currently unable to split myself into multiple people so get speed with a little light ‘How’s your day?’ talk or you can have a ‘Transcendent’ Customer experience where I say fuck the customers behind you and stand around chatting.
1. All that extra labor we may be earning is sure as hell not making it into my schedule. We constantly feel understaffed AND apparently my whole district is on a hiring spree so the staff that is at our store struggles getting more then 16 hours a week.
2. This whole bullshit of finding your purpose and transcending the customer experience is total crap. I can provide good customer service but don’t waste my time with training like raising our cc score is akin to curing cancer. We are a fast food joint. I am currently unable to split myself into multiple people so get speed with a little light ‘How’s your day?’ talk or you can have a ‘Transcendent’ Customer experience where I say fuck the customers behind you and stand around chatting.
official_koda_ 5 points 3y ago
We don’t get anything at all for connecting...so what’s the point...we don’t get paid enough to care either.
flynn_frank 5 points 3y ago
I am so sick and tired of my manager whining when our score goes lower than 40. Socializing with customers comes so naturally to me now, even when I have a store to run. Trust me, our regulars love us to death but it's so demeaning when this flawed survey is what me and my baristas are being judged on. I don't respond anymore when I get bad news by my boss when our score fluctuates.
pixiepourover 4 points 3y ago
Preach
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc • HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.