Consistency
Source: google.com via Miles on Pinterest
I started thinking about consistency this morning after grabbing my morning coffee at Starbucks. I have been ordering a specific drink every visit for almost a year now, a triple venti, four pump white mocha with whip. Very specific, but not too bad.
I have narrowed it down to those specific items and quantities so that I can expect a certain experience. When my order is handed to me, it should taste the same as it has every other time. When it doesn’t, it literally leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and reflects on Starbucks.
Consistency can and should build an expectation, a certain trust, that can be counted on. There is no reason that it should not be delivered each time. So, when I taste my drink and it doesn’t have that white mocha flavor that I expect, or the whip cream is not sweet, but bland, or the cup is only 2/3’s full with whip cream filling up the extra space I am disappointed. My respect and trust for Starbucks as a brand takes a hit.
McDonald’s doesn’t get as much of my business as it has in the past, but they too, strive for consistency. A Big Mac in Seattle should taste the same as a Big Mac in Denver, Missoula or New York. When it doesn’t, McDonalds reputation takes a hit.
Don’t get me wrong. I love to be surprised as much as anyone. Dazzle me with a new dish. Surprise me with a delivery a day early, or add an unsolicited recommendation on LinkedIn without me asking for one. There is a place for surprises in business. But after the surprise is over, I will return time after time if what was once a surprise is now consistently delivered thereafter.
Consistency, whether business or personal is always a welcome treat for me. How about you?
