Greetings...
Spring is FINALLY starting to arrive in Ohio and I am SO looking forward to it. Spring usually means changes are coming and new growth is here...
To that end, my blog post today is about Starbucks. My friends at Customer Evangelists posted a unique discussion about Starbucks and their use of social media.
Many banks are beginning to dip their toe into social media. It has been documented about Chase's use of "virtual branches" in virtual world games, others using Facebook or MySpace to chart into unchartered waters with the millenial generation, however, not many people has truly used social media to help "fix problems." Starbucks has hit many potholes over the past year and their stock has taken the toll and their reputation has been faltering. Howard Schultz, their dynamic former Chairman, is back in charge. Recently, they closed ALL store locations for a 3 hour period for retraining and a brand promise recap for ALL staff across the world. An unprecedented, but very necessary, step to get the Starbucks "house" back in order.
So where do they go from here? What else do they address? What needs fixing? Well, this is the message of my post...they ASKED their customers! Most everyone has some sort of feedback mechanism for customer comments, either cards, emails or website sections. Starbucks launched "MyStarbuckIdea" that collects the ideas of customers (issues, concerns, new ideas, etc.) and puts them up for a discussion and vote (how democratic and revolutionary to truly find out the pulse of the customer base at large.)
As noted by Customer Evangelists, the true test of this concept will be in the follow-through by Starbucks. Will they actually implement voted ideas? Will they provide feedback? Will they actually make changes?
If they do...this could be the turning point for Starbucks...we shall see.
Stay tuned!
Cheers!
Bruce
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