Turning Whole Comments into Grounds

Have you ever wondered what people really think about Starbucks? We took a deep dive into the comments on a recent LinkedIn post by former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to uncover the true sentiments of their customers. We extracted the comments and uploaded a CSV of unstructured comments into Dashbot. (Learn how we did it here)

Using Dashbot's powerful AI-driven analytics tools, we cut through the noise to get to the heart of what people love (and don't love) about their Starbucks experience. Just like finely ground coffee can be pulled into a rich espresso or into a sour shot, the quality of the coffee is largely determined by the process of the brew. Dashbot brewed raw unstructured comments and pulled several novel shots of insights out.

Brewing the Insights

Once we uploaded the data into Dashbot, it was enriched with different dimensions pulled out of the commentary. This is all done during the data processing and enrichment phase after the CSV was uploaded. After it was enriched with out of the box concepts such as specific products mentioned, granular and high-level themes, and sentiments taken in the full context of the comments; these are the insights what we discovered:

Key Takeaways

• Change in Customer Experience: Starbucks evokes a range of emotions, from nostalgia and loyalty to frustration and disappointment. As we dug deeper into the data it became clear that the nostalgia and loyalty was often coupled with an expression that things have changed and that the starbucks they were familiar with is no longer the one that is on their corner.
• Quality Concerns: Many customers expressed concerns about a perceived decline in coffee quality, with numerous comments reminiscing about the "old Starbucks" taste.
• Price vs. Value: While customers are willing to pay for quality, many feel that the current prices don’t match the value they receive. Some people are even reporting monthly price increases, which amplifies the changing perception around in-store experience‍
• The Rush vs. Relaxation: The fast-paced, "get in and get out" atmosphere clashes with the desire for a more relaxed café experience.

The Data Doesn’t Lie

We didn't just rely on anecdotal evidence. Our analysis of hundreds of comments revealed these key trends:

• Negative Sentiment Outweighs Positive: Although there are loyal fans, the majority of comments expressed negative sentiments towards Starbucks. Dashbot was able to section out longer comments that expressed multiple points of sentiment and can isolate them for a more tangible insight.
• Speed vs. Experience: The focus on efficiency and high turnover seems to conflict with the traditional café culture that many customers crave. The loyal customers of Starbucks valued the idea of sitting down and drinking their coffee, which is a far cry from the drive through model that is prevalent across the country today.
• Premium Prices, Diminished Quality: Customers feel they're paying premium prices for a product that doesn’t meet their quality expectations. This insight was made evident when we understood what people were saying about certain products and why.

What Does This Mean for Starbucks?

Our findings suggest that Starbucks is at a critical juncture. They need to ensure that they maintain the loyalty of their base by opening coffee shops that balance the feel of a local shop with moderate prices. Starbucks has been opening drive-thru's and High end Reserve branches. One fails to capture that coffee shop feeling that customers want, and the other fails to offer the moderate prices people need.

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As much as I think people would love to spend $21 on a Whiskey Barrel-Aged Cold Brew and a slice of Avacado Toast, what we learned is that people actually want their coffee order under $5 and feel like they are friends with their baristas.

How Dashbot Can Help

Dashbot's advanced analytics platform can help companies like Starbucks understand their customers on a deeper level. By analyzing customer feedback across multiple channels, businesses can make data-driven decisions that improve customer satisfaction and drive growth.

Traditional methods are often limited to identifying sentiments based on predefined keywords, which can miss the context and subtleties of customer feedback. Dashbot, on the other hand, goes beyond simple keyword detection. It enables native identification of more relevant information, such as specific products mentioned, granular and high-level themes, and sentiments taken in the full context of the comments. This advanced capability allows for a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of customer sentiment, empowering businesses to make more informed decisions.

Want to Learn More?

If you're curious about how Dashbot can help your business uncover valuable customer insights, we'd love to chat. Contact us today to schedule a demo!

Be sure to check out the full Data Kitchen episode!

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