Enhanced User Experience Gone Awry

I further suggest that they closely examine their storied brand and reassess customer needs. In doing so, management may discover that their menu bombardment strategy does not adequately align with either.....

I am James Howard, and I know a thing or two about coffee. I am an astute observer and critic of enhanced customer experiences that have gone awry. But before I share a recent story about my day at my favorite local coffee shop, I want to tell you a few things about my background. First, let me confess, I am an avid coffee drinker. In my 40 year career as an industrial designer, I have contributed to the design of more than 400 products. I have 19 patents, and I live in a state with the most diners in the country. I was the first to operate a coffee shop in a movie theatre for the Morris County, NJ region back in the mid-nineties. While planning the coffee bar, I had placed a premium on customer service. My priority was to get the coffee and cappuccinos to customers quickly so that they could get back to their seats just in time to hear Rose’s strained voice bellow softly.. come back Jack, come back as his head slowly submerges into the cold shimmering waters. Or to hear Renee tell Tom to hush, hush ….You had me at hello'..you had me at hello. No one was going to miss out on a climactic movie moment on my watch. Also, during the early nineties, my firm, Howard Design, lead the design of a European-styled coffeemaker that favored an hourglass footprint. A form that is dominant even to this day and has helped to reshape the household consumer coffeemaker for decades to come. My favorite Romcom is Cup of Love. And my favorite streaming documentary is Netflix’s Coffee for All. In recent times, I owned and operated an upscale tearoom for eleven years. And I once served as an assistant manager and barista at a local Starbucks. Today, I refuse to start a morning Zoom call without my favorite DD cup of coffee by my side. Lastly, before the onset of Covid, I could walk into my favorite DD store, take a whiff of the coffee aroma emanating pleasantly throughout the air, and poof! Suddenly my aching headache would disappear, literally disappear. So, yes, everyone, Covid does play havoc with your olfactory senses! With all that said, I believe I am uniquely qualified to share with you the following opinion piece, titled:?

Enhanced Customer Experience Gone Awry

Subtitled:??Next Coffee is on Me?

Today, I paid a visit to my favorite DD store. Something I do on a routine basis. In recent years I have noticed that DD shops have gone from a menu display of modest offerings - coffee and donuts- to a plethora of offerings that will give a Sears catalog a run for its money. I know many of my young readers out there are asking - what the heck is a Sears catalog? We will explain that later. Today, at this location and all other DDs throughout the state, you can get your favorite latte in a variety of flavors and textures. You have a selection of over ten types of sandwiches, donuts, and bagels. You can order smoothies, cappuccinos, iced tea, hot tea. And yes, coffee. Boy, do they have coffee. But not just coffee. Flavored coffee, cold coffee, short coffee, tall coffee, hot and warm coffee, cold brew, and a hot brew. Not to mention espressos and cappucinos. Customers who are in a real hurry can use their apps in advance and have their favorite beverage and sandwich waiting for them on the counter. A feature which, by the way, routinely stifles and slows service for the patrons who are patiently waiting in line. Furthermore, you have high-tech television monitors that excite the eyes and renders your mouth lusting for all of the display items. This smorgasbord of?epicurean delight is brought to you repeatedly in the most entertaining and high-definition fashion. Throw-in piped music and an HD TV displaying your local news, and you have what one would deduce as - an attempt to offer an enhanced user experience. Unfortunately, on this particular day, this attempt would go awry.

I suppose DD does all of these things to keep up with their competition and to meet the insatiable consumer demand for?more. In theory, all this marketing and wizardry do work. But only if guided by good user-experience principles. Principles that Starbucks, much to their credit, had incorporated Day 1 more than 25 years ago. At that time, Starbucks made a bold public announcement of their plans to put a store on every corner of main street America. Therefore, DD has had plenty of time to learn from the Starbucks model. To show that they understand these principles and apply them properly.?

On this particular day, during non-peak hours, I had to wait nearly 15 minutes to place my order, and there were only three customers ahead of me. One customer was leaning against the wall because his App’d in advance order was not ready. Another customer paraded past me - in my tenth minute of waiting - only to discover that her App’d in order, too, was not there. The customer at the cash register appeared to be ordering the entire left side of the beautifully enhanced menu. The couple in front of me seemingly expressed regret for not having traveled to the other DD just down the road. I quietly asked how long they had been waiting. Appearing to show mercy on the workers, they modestly answered, "five minutes?" And the customer standing behind me, with whom I had engaged in a conversation and mentioned that I would be writing a story on this experience, would quickly defend the workers by expressing deep empathy. She also showed interest in reading the story. I, in-kind, gave her my LinkedIn contact info. So Laura. If you happen to be reading, this moment of reflection is for you. Cheers!

?I have observed that this?slow service scene is symptomatic of many other locations. DD, it appears, have outpaced their ability to serve customers in a timely and efficient manner. And on this day, there were only two workers. And the line would continue to back up.??

?In the constant battle to stay ahead of the?insatiable demands of consumers, DD is not alone. Starbucks, for instance, was the first to offer a full range of expanded menu items. But Starbucks, at any given time, will have an army of workers behind the bar serving you, including a dedicated cashier, dedicated barista, and a dedicated food and beverage runner. Their layout is linear, spacious, and efficient. And Starbucks has, from inception, incorporated a customer-friendly structured plan that assures efficient delivery of service. So kudos to you, Starbucks. Not only do we credit you for playing a role in extending the careers of artists like Nora Jones, with your repeated melancholic sounds and cushioned ottomans, you have also earned an (A) for Enhanced Customer Experience. Now, as for your coffee. That is, in fact, a completely different story that we will save for another day.

In returning to the scene at my favorite DD store, I happened to notice a sign on the Covid-era Plexi screen that read- hiring shortage throughout the country – Please do not blame the employees.? As if the sign would somehow make amends for the apparent operational inefficiencies. Besides thinking that was odd, I recall saying to myself that I would never blame the workers. Laura, my new DD acquaintance, and I were both amused by this sign. And we agreed that the workers are not to blame. No, if you are experiencing the same ills at your favorite DD location that I have been experiencing lately at mine, then that blame should fall squarely on the shoulders of Corporate. The decision-makers at DD should rethink their decision in allowing such a mass infusion of products. These products inundate their stores with an overwhelming number of customer choices while restricting service efficiency. Particularly in peak and non-peak hours.???I further suggest that they begin?by?closely examining their storied brand and reassess customer needs. In doing so, management may discover that their menu bombardment strategy does not adequately align with either component. ?Incorporating a structured efficiency plan is far more advisable. It begins with taking into account the environment, the equipment, the store layout, the store location, the number of workers, the customer, and management personnel.

In regards to my favorite DD store, it is worth noting that, during the morning rush hour, when there are more workers on the floor, the inefficiencies appear to be compounded as workers crowd over one another in a frantic attempt to get the customers out of the door and off to work. I suggest to DD corporate planners that you follow the example of your competition. Yes, you do happen to have a better-tasting product- by a long margin. Let that be made clear. But your service suffers from a lack of proper planning. And this oversight is likely to hurt your business. I am predicting, if improvements are not adopted to bring your user experience up to the same level as your quality tasting products, your bottom line, too, will begin to suffer.??

As I close, I would like to share a special message for any Morris County resident who happens to remember my coffee bar,?Cappu Espress, at the outer Rockaway, NJ movie theatre more than 25 years ago. But first, I must keep my promise and explain to the younger audience just what a Sears Catalog is. Plain and simple. In its prime, it was the Amazon of the day. And you could find anything from A to Z in this massive encyclopedia-sized book. Now to the locals. If, by chance, a former customer recalls waiting in the theatre lobby for my famous dark Mochaccino and missed that classic line from Tom Cruise. The one where he replies to Renee -You Complete me. Then the next time you visit your favorite theatre, the movie and the coffee are both on me.

Just hit me up. I am likely to be online explaining to some of the younger audience just what an encyclopedia is.

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