Making it easier to be your customer, through improved efficiency

As I write this post, I’m sipping coffee at a Starbucks. This store is right next door to an Einstein’s Bagels. Just needed a change this morning.

Recently, Starbucks has made some significant adjustment in pricing and is on a big campaign for its new, instant coffee, VIA. By the way, I’m throughly amused that they have implemented the descriptive phrase, Ready Brew, as opposed the old school phrase, instant coffee.

VIA Ready Brew

What struck me within the last month is their change-simple pricing. Essentially, when one buy a Grande-size coffee and a pastry of andy kind, the price is $4 even. Same thing with just a Grande coffee, it’s $2 even.

This is unlikely to be a random event. One of the challenges in a morning coffee joint is speed. Highly tuned volume operations measure everything, down to seconds and keystrokes. It seems likely that Starbucks efficiency department determined how many seconds (then minutes) could be saved by minimizing the need to make change on the most common orders/transactions.

By adjusting the pricing, accordingly, customer wait time has been reduced, making for happier patrons and the ability to process more transaction (selling more coffee and other products).

A question you might ask  is: “What have I done later to be more efficient, generally? Specifically in ways that directly affect the prospect/client?”

It is easy to be effective. Not as easy to be efficient.

What can you do to simplify, and make it easier to be your client?

If this resonates with you, please comment on what processes, policies, pricing more efficient.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog