Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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The Customer Connections Survey is Skewed (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by WinnerExtra9867
I come here after getting my post deleted twice by r/starbucks. Can't imagine why, I edited the post down even though I was pretty sure I hadn't broken any rules :/. I can't believe there aren't more people pissed off about this, not that I've heard anyway. Our store held a meeting last night to talk about customer connections, because the district is really honed in on raising our scores right now. I don't know if other areas are going through this too. My store is at a 29. Nothing has really changed in the past several months, but our score just keeps going down. The district wants us to be above 50. Only a few stores have achieved this currently. The whole district has been on a decline in the year though. The majority of the partners in my store agreed on the following:
1. There's no reason our score should be this low when we feel that at the end of the day, the overwhelming majority of our interactions, transactions, etc. with customers were positive.
More people need to be receiving this survey.
2. This infrequent and randomized approach is setting us up for complete failure. ANYBODY who wants to should be able to take it.
3. This 7/7 on every answer in order for our score to increase is beyond ridiculous.
4. It's likely only unhappy people are choosing to fill out the survey anyhow.
5. The whole system is unfair and inaccurate.
Is anyone else on the same page about all this? Has anybody been trying to get it changed?
1. There's no reason our score should be this low when we feel that at the end of the day, the overwhelming majority of our interactions, transactions, etc. with customers were positive.
More people need to be receiving this survey.
2. This infrequent and randomized approach is setting us up for complete failure. ANYBODY who wants to should be able to take it.
3. This 7/7 on every answer in order for our score to increase is beyond ridiculous.
4. It's likely only unhappy people are choosing to fill out the survey anyhow.
5. The whole system is unfair and inaccurate.
Is anyone else on the same page about all this? Has anybody been trying to get it changed?
I_like_to_know 65 points 8m ago
Fwiw, the customer connection score is based solely on the question, "did your barista make an effort to get to know you?" The rest of the questions are for the store operations score.
cats_with_tentacles 48 points 8m ago
This. They are pushing drive times to 45 seconds and mobile orders are destroying the cafe experience. We dont have time to "get to know" customers so the answer to this question is frequently no
astrenixie 23 points 8m ago
Absolutely this! It sucks too, because talking to customers was my favorite part about the job. Now, I feel like I never have time to connect unless it's to frantically placate a customer who is yelling at everyone. Partners are being set up to fail.
interyx 18 points 8m ago
Plus if you read the survey responses they'll just vote 1s across the board because they're mad the lines are too long. Or we're out of pumpkin spice. Or that Starbucks is still charging for non dairy milk. Or any one of a thousand other reasons that has nothing to do with customer service.
Or even "the baristas are too pushy trying to get to know me"
Or even "the baristas are too pushy trying to get to know me"
cats_with_tentacles 7 points 8m ago
Yeah we have several comments that literally say "I do not want to talk at the window, do not try to get to know me, just give me coffee" but ya know
daphneadora9 2 points 8m ago
“the bathrooms closed” (we don’t have indoor seating)
BabyH1ppo 8 points 8m ago
Pushing to 45? I wish 😅. My store is supposed to be hitting 36 or less
cats_with_tentacles 3 points 8m ago
Thats insane smh
Accomplished_Past_10 27 points 8m ago
I think that the only people that actually feel the need to fill out the surveys are the customers who had a bad experience 90% of the time, and the satisfied ones who have a good experience dont really take the time as much as the sour ones.
violentfemme17 17 points 8m ago
People are always more likely to fill out a survey and the like when they have a *bad experience* which also tilts the scale against our favor
clouds183 10 points 8m ago
on point 2: they can’t because that opens the possibility of employees doing the survey themselves instead of the customers
astivana 27 points 8m ago
Ok but I can already do the survey myself if I buy something with my app.
b99__throwaway 12 points 8m ago
scan your partner card with the app to use your discount anytime you use the register. pray you get the survey in your own email. fill it out. i scan my card to give my numbers all the time even if it’s a food markout and frequently get the surveys & fill them out w 7s
snarky_fireball21 8 points 8m ago
Target has something similar for their surveys and they have a specific question that asks if you're a team member. If you are, it immediately stops the survey. This includes for other stores. It will also not send team members one when their numbers are used.
I feel like Starbucks can do something similar. It shouldn't be that hard.
I feel like Starbucks can do something similar. It shouldn't be that hard.
SnooChipmunks4661 4 points 8m ago
Lots of retail businesses use customer surveys and have figured out a way around this problem.
icedcoffeenoclassic 8 points 8m ago
Hey! I also just made a post abt our store’s CC score. 26 over here lol. We have also been talking about the survey thingy as well. I am so tempted to write on the blackboard that “did your barista get to know you” question and draw 7 stars so customers get the hint 😭
throwaway1209340987 8 points 8m ago
I just $1 and it hasn’t been taken down!
breaking_goddess 6 points 8m ago
It’s an incredibly skewed likert scale. It’s been this way for years. Over 10 years. And it just….is beyond frustrating.
MountainGoat999 5 points 8m ago
One of the problems right now is that IIRC one of the questions is something like "Were you able to get the drink you wanted?" and with all the product issues, obviously a lot of people aren't. So we're getting fucked over for something that isn't even our fault. Fuck CC.
marigshu 4 points 8m ago
Management has calls every six weeks that they can ask questions on. Trust me when I say that people have been asking for change when it comes to this survey. It is frustrating.
Ok_Investigator4314 4 points 8m ago
retweet
Creative-Clothes-520 2 points 8m ago
We’re at a 63 we got embroidered aprons when we got over 60 it’s been a journey two years ago it was a 17
Low_Analysis3195 1 points 8m ago
it’s so confusing because are we pushing drinks or customer connections? we can’t do both and they seem to think we can
mnh17 1 points 8m ago
For the longest time, I would have been 100% on your side, in full agreement. But recently my SM told our SSV team that she was going to start writing up SSVs when she saw us not greeting/connecting when we had the chance. Our score jumped by 15 points in one week, 8 the next. This tells me that we have the capacity to connect, it just hasn't been a priority.
A simple greeting and a smile truly goes a long way. An ask about their plans for the day opens the door for a larger conversation. The customer can always disengage. They likely aren't going to give you a bad score if this is the case, they know it's a two way street.
I know it's uncomfy and weird, but tbh the customer connections are my favorite part of the job, and they get so much easier the more you do them.
A simple greeting and a smile truly goes a long way. An ask about their plans for the day opens the door for a larger conversation. The customer can always disengage. They likely aren't going to give you a bad score if this is the case, they know it's a two way street.
I know it's uncomfy and weird, but tbh the customer connections are my favorite part of the job, and they get so much easier the more you do them.
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