Questionnaires were designed to get an idea of why the customers choose Starbucks over other coffee retailers and whether the customers were happy with the standards of service and the quality of drinks which they receive.
A number of customers in store were asked to complete the Questionnaires and were asked to be completely honest. The information received from these questionnaires has given an insight into where it is that Starbucks Blackburn are going wrong and where there is room for improvement. The questionnaires are shown in Appendices 2.
The information generated from the questionnaires was then taken and the results have been displayed in the following pie charts to make it easier to analyse the data. Displaying the information in pie charts makes the information readily available in a format which is easy to view and where the percentage of each of the answers is shown clearly for each questions asked.
The data has given a good insight into repeat customers and general customer satisfaction. Pie chart 1 shows that 63% of the customers that filled in the questionnaires visit the store often which shows that the store gets quite a lot of repeat custom. Pie chart 2 shows that 37% choose Starbucks Blackburn for convenience which shows that it is set in a good location and 33% said they chose it for quality however only 12% said that they chose to go to Starbucks for the standard of service which shows there is room for improvement. Pie chart 3 shows that only 4% of the customers thought that the service they received at Starbucks was poor, 35% of the customers asked thought the service was excellent and 35% thought the service was good. However 31% of customers asked thought the service they received was average which shows that the service is not always meeting the starbucks legendary standards and exceeding customer expectations. Pie chart 4 shows that the drinks standards are met 75% of the time however 25% of the time the drinks standards are only met rarely or occasionally. This also shows that there is room for improvement as customers should be getting what they pay for 100% of the time. Pie chart 5 was useful in highlighting that the speed of service needs to be improved as only 21% of customers asked said that the service was fast. The rest of the customers thought that the service was either average, slow and 21% of customers thought that the service was very slow. Pie chart 6 shows that only 50% customers felt that they were always made to feel welcome in the store this suggests that Starbucks Blackburn are not fulfilling the Starbucks mission to “create a sense of belonging” as shown in the mission statement in appendices 1. Pie chart 7 shows that only 38% of customers felt that they can sit and relax in store which again suggests that Starbucks Blackburn is not fulfilling the Starbucks mission to “create a haven, a break from the world outside” which is again shown in the mission statement in appendices 1. Pie chart 8 shows that 79% of customers asked would choose Starbucks over other coffee retailers this is positive and shows that despite having a few issues customers would still choose Starbucks. However, it is the 21% of customers that say that they would not choose Starbucks in future which shows something needs to be done in order to retain their custom.
Interview questions (other coffee retailers)
Interviewing members of management from other coffee retailers gives an insight to whether other stores are facing similar problems and how they tackle these problems.
The information in appendices 3 in the interview carried out with the assistant manager from Cafe Nero shows that they also receive complaints regarding the quality of the coffee and the standard of service that the customers receive. It also highlights that they have previously received complaints about the cleanliness of the store regarding the toilets. They tackle the complaints by trying to resolve the matter in store and area managers over see that these problems are corrected. It’s shown that baristas are trained in store and go to training days and complete a skills book. The way in which Cafe Nero educates their customers regarding the drinks they offer involves leaflets in store and from menu boards and advertising.
An interview with the manager from a Costs store was also useful and again highlighted that they also have received complaints regarding quality. This interview did not highlight as much information regarding Costa as the interview had to be done quickly as the store was very busy. However the information was still useful in highlighting there training procedures involving hands on and workbook based training for a period of 3-4 months. It was also useful in understanding how they communicate the quality and content of the drinks through TV advertising, information leaflets and material in store.
Finally an interview was carried out with the assistant manager of a different Starbucks store in order to compare the standards of a non franchise store and to see if they also receive similar complaints. This was an extremely beneficial interview as it highlighted lots of information regarding a different Starbucks store in which should have the same policies and views with regards to quality and standards as the Starbucks Blackburn store. Interestingly as with Costa and Cafe Nero the Starbucks Wrexham store also receives complaints regarding beverage standards, the cleanliness of the store and as with Starbucks Blackburn they receive complaints about the speed of service. Starbucks communicate the beverage information through menu boards, the website and through members of staff in store but unlike Costa they do not take advantage of TV advertising.
It has been clearly shown from these interviews that Starbucks Blackburn is not the only store to have issues regarding quality and service and it appears that it is a problem that other stores are also targeting.
Interview questions (Staff members at Starbucks Blackburn)
Interviews were carried out with members of the staff to get an insight into why it is they think that the store has been receiving the recent number of complaints. These interview shown in appendices 4 have been useful in highlighting a number of issues as to where the store is going wrong and why these issues may have arose.
The staff all seem to have a positive attitudes regarding customer service and are aware of the Starbucks standards and what is expected of them. However, in all of the interviews carried out the issue of being short staff was mentioned, which could be a main factor in the complaints that have been made. The staff seem to have all the correct principles and understand the importance of quality and service which should reflect on the service the customers receive. In busy periods if the store is short staffed this could have a detrimental effect on the quality of the beverages and the standard of service and could be the answer to where the problems arise as staff won’t have time to give the customers the service which they expect. The assistant manager that was interviewed thought that the staff hour’s budget was too low in comparison to the revenue the store made and the number of customers coming through the doors and using the drive thru. Also highlighting that the training procedures were followed correctly for baristas but when training assistant managers and managers it was stated that the company cut corners to deal with the vast amount of stores Eurogarages are opening quickly. As was stated in the interview with the assistant manager at the Starbucks Wrexham store it was also mentioned in the staff interviews that customers are not aware of the drinks they are ordering which suggests that the information regarding the beverages is not displayed clearly enough for customers to understand.
These interviews have demonstrated extremely valuable information and highlighted a key issue affecting the Starbucks Blackburn store.
In store observations
Observations were carried out in store to get a clear understanding of the service and quality of the beverages that the customers are receiving in store and their overall Starbucks Blackburn experience from start to finish.
From observing in store the service received was polite and the beverage received was correct, to the correct temperature and quality. However, the observation was carried out during a lunch time rush. There was a long line of customers and what appeared to be a number of Drive Thru calls also being taken. There was only 3 members of staff to deal with the congestion of both the customers in store and also the drive thru and they appeared to be struggling and quite flustered but continued to be polite to customers. Over the course of the lunch rush no complaints were witnessed regarding drinks although it was clear that customers were getting impatient from the long wait queuing and then waiting for their drinks. The staff cleared tables whenever the queue died down but customers had to resort to sitting on dirty tables. When visiting the toilets both the ladies and the disabled toilets had little or no toilet roll.
The observations made have reinforced the opinions of the staff at Starbucks Blackburn that they are short staffed and there are clearly not enough members of staff on shift to deal with the capacity of custom being served in the cafe and through the drive thru.
Secondary research
The information found in appendices 5-10 has all been useful regarding the service and quality that Starbucks Blackburn is giving their customers.
Appendices 5 gives useful information about the success of the first franchise store that Eurogarges opened in Deeside and also shows comments from managing director Starbucks UK regarding the drive thru concept “Our customers want Starbucks coffee on the go, without compromising quality of the coffee or the service they get in our coffee houses” (Rymer 2010) this comment demonstrates what it is that Starbucks are expecting from Eurogarges when opening the new franchise drive thru stores.
Appendices 7 gives information on the new Starbucks expectations regarding only making two drinks at a time which shows that Starbucks is targeting the quality of the drinks the customers are receiving. However by doing so it appears to be having a detrimental effect on the speed of service “doubling the amount of time it takes to make drinks in some cases” (Forman 2010).
Appendices 8 shows information that the Starbucks brand itself has had problems With Will Smale reporting that its share price has dropped 40% over the past year and that its expansion has changed its image from upmarket and being regarded as the third place where customers could relax or work to it being viewed in the same light as McDonalds.
Appendices 9 shows an interview with Howard Schultz, the managing director of Starbucks. This article is useful in showing how Starbucks have tried to tackle the speed of service by moving from couches to tables and chairs.
Conclusion
Extremely useful information has been gathered from the research methods used in this assignment. After collecting all the information it has been highlighted that Starbucks Blackburn is not the only store to have received negative comments and complaints regarding the quality of beverages and the standard of service. The research has also clearly shown that a factor which plays a big part in the service and quality standards at the Starbucks Blackburn store is the lack of staff on shift in peak periods in order to deal with the volume of custom. The staff have shown positive attitudes and good knowledge of what is expected from them, if the store was able to put more staff on shift this may solve the issues. More information could have been gathered regarding the competitor coffee retailers such as Costa and Cafe Nero but this was difficult to obtain as it would hard to speak to managers and assistant managers as they were busy running the store and overseeing the shifts.
Bibliography
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References
- Starbucks mission statement 2010, Starbucks store.
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Rymer, W.D, managing director Starbucks UK, Article, www.forecourttrader.co.uk. Updated (12th march, 2010)
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Forman, E. 2010. Starbucks article, www.dailymail.co.uk – last updated (13th October 2010
- Smale, W. 2008, Starbucks article, www.newsvote.bbc.co.uk
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nigases (student)
