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Post by lmoore on Feb 27, 2014 11:53:17 GMT -6
I think it is important for businesses to “train” their customers. When customers know what is expected of them it helps the business perform better. The example given in the video is Starbucks. They were having difficulty getting the orders ready in time and so they developed a certain language for the customers to learn in order to speed up waiting times. Training customers also help to communicate with employees.
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Post by meganlynch on Feb 28, 2014 9:15:35 GMT -6
I like the idea behind this video and think if it worked, it could be very beneficial. However, I think it is up to the customer as an individual if they are willing to cooperate with this 'training'. For instance, I would say I am a regular customer at Starbucks, not frequent, and I say 'grande' or 'tall', but I say skim milk, not non fat. You can only train a customer to do what he or she doesn't mind doing. I work at a Pizzeria and we have so many customers that ask for 'the supreme' or 'meat lovers'. I am sure to correct them every time that we are not Dominos and then suggest an alternative that they are probably looking for. Some customers catch on, but others refuse to learn the correct terms. Unlike employees, customers are free to do and say what they want and cannot be fired.
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Post by amandayoung3231 on Mar 2, 2014 16:25:41 GMT -6
That is an interesting concept. To be able to train your customers... I see how it works for starbucks, however I am not sure if you can use this for all types of businesses. And as she said people do not want to be publicly humiliated so you could also drive customers away when doing this. It makes the employees seem rude in some cases.
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Post by allisonschex on Mar 3, 2014 12:46:43 GMT -6
I haven't thought of the way that Starbucks runs it's company as "training their customers" but it is true now that I've heard someone point it out. I go to Starbucks pretty often to get tea or a refresher and have learned I want a "grande" instead of a large since they correct you everytime you say large. It is true that people don't like being corrected and would rather learn the right way of ordering something than to be corrected in front of others. Even tho I do like this concept it shouldn't be that hard for the employees to understand what the customer wants and not waste any time having to repeat it in the right way, this just wastes the same amount of time.
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Post by gkboone on Mar 4, 2014 12:25:30 GMT -6
I didn't realize that Starbucks trained me to order their coffee more efficiently. Now that I look back at the way they take orders, I can see it. They always call back an order using their own terminology. I thought it was just to help the employees work better together, but apparently it is also to help the customers learn how to talk like a Starbucks expert. I think this was a brilliant idea and many businesses can take from this method.
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Post by csimo123 on Mar 4, 2014 14:11:07 GMT -6
Train customers I thought employees get trained but I guess I was wrong. In the video I like how she describes the Starbucks experience that the customers adapted to the store so that way the employees could make the correct drink. I like this concept of making customers adapt to your company, but you have to do it in a way that does not embarrass them.
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Post by racheleperes on Mar 4, 2014 18:11:06 GMT -6
I, honestly, don't think that companies train us, but instead, we adapt to the company. A company can not teach you because that would require capitol that the presidents and CEOs would not be willing to use. We, instead, adapt to the things we encounter daily. Like the example she used with Starbucks, the menu says the sizes of the cup options. And when we order, we are guided with a set of questions on how we want our coffee. They didn't teach us on how to order. The majority of us know how to read and that's exactly what we do; we read the menu to see the coffee options and types.
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Post by katelynjones on Mar 4, 2014 18:26:06 GMT -6
What they say about starbucks is true. When I started drinking coffee from starbucks I was nervous and intimidated because I didn't know the lingo. I get that they train their customers into ordering to make things run smoother and having people in and out faster. I see other companies doing this as well labeling their meals in drive up windows to numbers so they don't have to say the full order and everything that comes with the meal plan. It is a great way to provide the fast service customers are looking for these days.
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Post by mwinner123 on Mar 4, 2014 22:19:50 GMT -6
Well, this is a very interesting concept that I'd honestly never heard of. However, I see it as something that can only be truly effective in smaller business environments. For instance, there is no real way to train your customers like this with Walmart's offerings, but a small coffee shop on the corner could easily get this done. What is brilliant about this model is the idea of customers not wanting to be corrected in public. Therefore, customers will almost always go to great lengths to ensure that they are up to date with the latest products and can correctly order the drinks that they are wanting to buy. Without the embarrassment, the customers can feel as though they are superior and knowledgeable about the products and like they have some sort of contribution to the overall service of the business. I found this video to be very interesting. This concept is intriguing.
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Post by ken9390 on Mar 5, 2014 20:41:30 GMT -6
It is really amazing how a company like Starbuck's can almost subliminally get us to change the way we view coffee terms and such just by changing terminology on their menu. Of course it doesn't hurt that they are wildly successful, but it just goes to show how influential a single company can be on an industry. Another example would be in the facial tissue industry; we almost unanimously call facial tissue 'Kleenex'.
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Post by codylejeune on Mar 5, 2014 23:16:41 GMT -6
I think training customers to speak the correct language of the business can smooth the business process. When I worked at Pita Pit, I trained some of our regulars with the correct lingo of the business. For example, a "loaded" chicken breast pita means a chicken breast with onions, green peppers, and mushrooms grilled together before going into the pita.
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Post by jsherman on Mar 6, 2014 14:21:58 GMT -6
Yes I agree with people not liking to be corrected in public and that's also why whenever I approach the front of the line I make sure I already know what I want. It's sort of like the term "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" therefore Starbucks is Rome and whenever we enter the store, we do are the "Romans" do. It has also helped them better brand themselves and gain a competitive edge among the competition which is also a good thing. I have noticed that Starbucks went under a lot of hit and misses in they're earlier years but them seem to have it down pact by now.
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Post by chelsearickett on Mar 9, 2014 23:33:22 GMT -6
I don't get why anyone wouldn't like this video. It's genius! Starbucks employees are always so friendly and knowledgeable. I often don't know what I'm trying to say when I order but they always know what I'm talking about and tell me so I'll know for next time. And I can't complain about anything because I'm the one who ordered it and they made it right before my eyes. I like the idea of training the customers the employees vocab, makes everything a lot easier. I worked at Chili's briefly and I had to learn a whole new lingo for the menu items, and if I were to say it in front of the customers they would have no idea what I was talking about. So go Starbucks. I'm on your side.
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Post by susiekaz on Mar 12, 2014 16:34:31 GMT -6
I thought this video was very interesting! I think this is one of my favorite videos so far! The guest's way of thinking about training customers is such a neat concept and something I've never thought of before. When she gave the example of Starbucks, I thought of my own job which is at a local burger restaurant. Every time someone orders a burger there are a number of questions a server must ask. If people don't know all the questions, it's very time consuming and can be frustrating for the server especially if it is a big table or a very busy shift. On the other hand, regular customers love when they are able to order their food without the server asking any questions and always feel excited when they get all the answers without being asked. This is a concept I think I may bring up with the owner of the restaurant.
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Post by brettstirling on Mar 12, 2014 20:42:38 GMT -6
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks this way about customers! Not every customer is right because sometimes they truly are speaking from no prior knowledge. I've always felt the need to inform the misinformed and there are ways to do this correctly and respectfully. In all honesty, we are trained as customers on a daily basis without even knowing it. I'm sure Starbucks did what they needed to do in order to streamline the ordering process, but I have my own complaints as far as that goes. I think if I were a Starbucks employee, instead of trying to correct people on what should be a basic understanding, I'd eventually learn to translate what people are trying to convey in their orders. The again I was never nor plan to be a Starbucks employee to really know how inconvenient that may be. Either way, I do agree in the fact that there are certain ways businesses operate and in order to do that customers have to be trained to an extent on how to use it's services. Good video but I probably wouldn't share it.
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