Starbucks implements changes to enhance customer experience

Image credit: Starbucks
Earlier this week, Starbucks began rolling out a series of initiatives to revitalise its coffeehouse culture, with an emphasis on sustainability, efficiency, and customer experience.
In September, new chairman and CEO Brian Niccol announced his ‘Back to Starbucks’ plan that aims to revitalise Starbucks by focusing on what has “always set us apart: a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas.”
Earlier this month, in a letter to partners (employees), Niccol revised the coffeehouse chain’s mission: “To be the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world, inspiring and nurturing the human spirit — one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time.”
As part of the ‘Back to Starbucks’ plan, the chain is re-introducing ceramic mugs, a move that not only offers customers the opportunity to enjoy their beverages on-site but also strengthens Starbucks’ commitment to being eco-friendly by reducing waste. It is part of a broader strategy to foster a more inviting atmosphere within Starbucks cafés by enhancing the in-house experience for customers and making them stay longer to enjoy the ambience. Customers can also bring in reusable cups, further aligning with the company’s sustainability objectives.
Improving the in-store experience also includes unlimited refills on select hot and iced beverages. Refills must be served in either reusable or in-store drinkware, excluding disposable cups. With regard to the disposable cups, baristas will be ‘writing on them’ again — a new ad campaign highlighting that feature launched this month.
Starbucks has also reinstated its condiment bar, enabling guests to customise their drinks with creamers, milks and sweeteners, reducing packaging waste. The condiment bar was removed during the Covid-19 period but did not return following the end of the pandemic.
On 17 January message to partners, Niccol outlined the changes, which also included expanded store hours in more than 3,000 stores, removing the non-dairy milk upcharge, a goal of a four-minute wait time in cafés for beverages, and streamlining the menu offerings. The revised code of conduct is focused on maintaining a clean and safe environment for all customers. The policy includes measures such as prohibiting loitering by non-customers, freeing up seats for paying customers. These guidelines are designed to ensure that Starbucks locations remain welcoming spaces conducive to relaxation and social interaction.
The initial work has focused on Starbucks’ US and Canada stores and the store experience. However, Niccol said that as the company looks “to transform our business globally, we also need to examine the role, structure and size of our support teams around the world.” He added that Starbucks needs to “meaningfully change how our support teams are organised and how we work, making sure that we have the capacity and capabilities to deliver on Back to Starbucks, and are prioritising the areas that have the biggest impact on the experience in our stores.”
Hence, in an effort to operate more efficiently, Starbucks is working to “define the support organisation for the future,” which Niccol said will likely result in job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward but noted that this work will not affect in-store teams or the investments being made in store hours. The changes will be communicated to partners by early March. — Vanessa L Facenda