Experience marketing
It was rainy late afternoon last week when I stepped in to my fave coffee shop. Actually I have never been there, but I am quite familiar with the some other store with same brand which are really nice. I spent hours at previous visit at the other store uploading bunch of holiday pics utilizing free broadband. I planned to get connected again to continue upload the remaining pics. So I approached the counter, which was not pretty big, a bit depressed by a narrow shophouse structure.
Waiters greeted me with smile.. not bad.. I asked for AC plugs and
she located me at one corner with couch. Upstairs must be bigger but
smoking section and looked full from the street. I need calm
environment but music so I decided to stay ground. Am not impressed but
still okay..
I ordered and asked politely for the wireless password but turned to
a big disappointment learning that the free wifi was not provided.. its
only for some stores. I shouldn’t stopped here but the next block that
has nice coffee but cheaper, I grinned to myself. I came back to the
cozy couch missing uploading time but still can continue finishing my
mails and some wrap ups using my mobile modem. When waiting they
brewed the coffee I could see ineffectiveness behind the counter, which
you would never see in Starbucks -to be very straight forward. Four
waiters hung around and chit chat while preparing the coffee, I did
hope the high temperature would keep my coffee hygiene being prepared
in bunch of such talkative waiters. This shop chain was not enough
learning from the number one I guess. I noticed they served nice
breakfast too.. which is not bad.. I might try but cozy breakfast, full
stomach and being late in the morning would easily kill your pushy
instinct.
After wrap up my works, I had buzzed my friend whom closely related
with coffee shop business about recent experience that really pissed me
off before he sent back a smiley reminding me to fill out customers’
feedback. I slightly pull the table to stand up when I felt tension on
my shoulder caused by typing at high coffee table. I was wondering why
I made life so difficult with such anti-ergonomic workplace. Then it
drove me crazy when I felt layer of water underneath my laptop. I
almost bursted out to the waiter whom looked stunned instead of getting
me napkin or tissue. Actually not only because of the slow motion
waiter, but I already noticed that the same waiter whom opening the
door for customers always forgot to close the door properly letting the
humid air came in and it condensate
around my cold drinks wetting the table. I was lucky my mac was still
doing fine even the water has already been dripping to the battery
compartment. I again buzzed my friend warning him of this incident that
might happened if you have humid air -especially after rain- coming
into an air condition rooms with cold beverages and a laptop… He
made me happy learning that now he was seriously taking my warning.
Finishing my mails, I was casually chit chat with online friends to
tense down the situation when I recognized one lady was repeating same
explanation to three different people and all of them looks like happy
campers afterwards.. I thought the lady was an insurance agent… which
was cool .. she found a great spot.. eyeing for people that have luxury
to have such expensive beverages.. but later I knew that she’s from a
credit card company, offering a direct 30% discount valid for some
weeks if the customer sign up .. only sign up with copy of your ID and
copy of whatever credit card you have. I saw three out of four
customers that enter the shop were really happy campers.. with discount
and casual chitchat with the good looking salesperson… the only one
customer that not happy was me.. which never being offered by this
lady, came with high expectation of services but not 100% fulfilled,
and got condensation incident. I learned later that she’s upstairs when
I came to the counter.
The more I listen to her from distance the more this case become
interesting for me. I saw many credit card sales person that even
struggling to get customers’ attention. And this lady already got three
customers applying for new credit card -maybe more upstairs- with ease
in less than one hour. I was about to apply after finally she
approached me.. but beside I was not interested in getting me hooked
with credit facility, I lost my appetite to enjoy some weeks discount
at this place.
On the way home, I called my friends whom working in marketing telling
her the story that only very few companies that are good in
establishing operation standard, most followers would fail at some
areas or store or outlet. Some companies are smart enough to seize the
opportunity to grab customers at the right place like the credit card
company in this expensive coffee shop, but few customers like me lost
appetite due to some bad experience which the operator would never get
the feedback..
Since -like most customers that would not want to bother with those
card – I forgot to fill out customers’ feedback 
furthermore I
realized the breakfast would drain your energy level with its high glycemic index However …. I would still go to that shops at least for the broadband, but no longer in my fave list.
