Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/123507
F or nearly a decade, Lisa Stroud was a regular customer at the Village Coffee Roastery in Scottsdale, Ariz., a oneunit shop on the outskirts of Phoenix. In that time, she interacted with dozens of fellow customers, many of whom readily voiced their opinions on the café. "People loved the coffee, but I'd hear complaints about the wait time for a drink, the shop's paint color, the frequent air-conditioning breakdowns or the lack of available food choices," Stroud says. "And, truth be told, some of those same things bothered me too." Those conversations came in handy in 2006 when Stroud, a veteran of the hospitality industry—including a stint with the Ritz-Carlton— made the ambitious move from customer to owner and purchased the fledgling Scottsdale shop. "In the hotel industry, it's very common to hear customer feedback, but that same energy didn't seem present in independent coffee, which I thought was a missed opportunity," Stroud says. "For me, the only way to grow—and to grow successfully—is to listen to guests." Soon after taking possession of Village Coffee, Stroud established a customer advisory board (CAB). Borrowing from the RitzCarlton's history of anticipating guest needs and heightening customer service, Village Coffee's still-standing CAB offers Stroud a regular opportunity to gain unfiltered feedback from customers, discover ways that Village Coffee can better serve its guests and, ultimately, improve business. "When you're stuck in your four walls, it can be difficult to see what others see. The board helps me make more informed business decisions and enlightens me on potential opportunities," says Stroud, adding that sales have nearly tripled since she began soliciting customer feedback and implementing the best of those ideas. Common in the business-to-business space, CABs are slowly filtering into the business-to-consumer ranks, as companies big and small look to remain nimble, responsive and connected to consumers. These boards, typically filled with voluntary members, help businesses keep pace with customers' changing habits and drive more guided marketing, product and customer-service decisions. THE VALUE OF THE OUTSIDER PERSPECTIVE Andrea Syverson, president of IER Partners, a Colorado-based consultancy that specializes in branding and merchandising, says CABs fit every industry and customer segment, often helping business leaders confirm, tweak, update or even discard their assumptions on specific products or the entire brand experience. "Whenever you're providing a product or service, you're in a constant battle to be relevant and to connect with customers in a way that differentiates your brand," Syverson says. "There's always a place for new learning, and that's what CABs tend to deliver." Rather than a one-time focus group or an online survey, CABs offer businesses a chance to gain ongoing business intelligence that can help a café thrive in a competitive environment. CABs can help a shop improve customer service, deepen customer relationships, deliver a more compelling in-store experience, minimize customer frustrations and unlock new opportunities, including fresh products or services. The result, Syverson contends, is a responsive business focused on its customers' needs and desires. "CABs can keep a business on its toes and constantly in the mode of meeting customers' expectations," Syverson says. CONCEPT IN THE CAFÉ In her first CAB meeting after purchasing Village Coffee, continued on page 46 freshcup.com May 2013 45