Inevitably my conversations with people turn to coffee at some point. Usually its my fault when people ask me what I’m interested in, or I ask them what coffee shops they like. But regardless, this exercise always produces interesting market research for me about the general coffee consumer. The thing that always surprises me, is how many people consider themselves a coffee aficionado. Usually, I’ll say that I’m a coffee guy, and they will respond with the fact that they are too. Then I start talking about some geeky coffee thing, and they’ll say, “Oh, you’re REALLY a coffee guy.”

They are surprised that there are people out there that obsess over the fine points of extraction, or pressure profiling or processes at origin. The important point is that before I started boring them with obscure coffee debates, they considered themselves an expert.

So imagine this “expert” who has been drinking Starbucks for the last ten years and maybe graduated to Peets or the Coffee Bean in the last couple years walks into a third wave shop. What they see is different, names of farms and promises of blueberry and bergamot. This moment creates discomfort in many people. This is the golden moment for a customer service focused barista to build a bridge from discomfort to a positive different coffee experience.

Notice I said different and not better. When the barista asks the expert what he wants, he may just say I want a regular cup of coffee because he is uncomfortable making choice among currant, winey or kumquat. A great response would be to ask the customer what he is used to drinking and then explain how this may be a different experience. Again, different not better. Offer the coffee on the menu that still has some of the chocolate and caramel notes that can serve as a gateway and a relationship is formed.

Far too often standing in line at a third wave shop I have witnessed a smirk instead of a smile during this type of interaction. A smirk to an “expert” is a slap in the face, and who really are we to tell someone who has been drinking coffee for 20 years that they are wrong when a cup of coffee is such a subjective experience? All we can do is offer something new, and make it remarkable enough that the expert feels empowered instead of embarrassed. They might even come back to check out the bergamot.

I’m an MBA student in Milan, Italy, and for most students sitting in class around me, they apply what they are hearing and learning to their old jobs at banks, consulting firms and top industry firms. I, on the other hand, tend to apply what I’m learning to the Third Wave/Specialty/Super Premium or anything else you want to call this coffee movement. Sometimes they are things that just reconfirm thoughts I’ve had but at other times I’ve found completely new insights.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to share a few of the things I’m thinking about in order to help me cement some thoughts.

#1 Southwest Airlines

In business school we read and discuss a ton of cases that give us the background and situations of companies, and then ask us questions on how to solve the problems they face. In two classes we have looked at Southwest Airlines. The amazing thing about Southwest is that during all of the financial turmoil of the last few years, they have remained profitable and even thrived when most other airlines were filing for bankruptcy. Everyone seems to have their own opinion on how they’ve achieved this. To me it is very clear. They provide a valuable service for cheap, with personality. They don’t just provide a low price flight, or make flying fun, or give great customer service, or almost never lose your bags. They do ALL of these things. At the end of the day, they realize that they need to excel at every customer touchpoint.

To me this is a lesson that needs to be learned in the Third Wave coffee movement. It is not enough to have the best coffee in town. There has to be great customer service and the experience needs to be unique. There will be a segment of people who find the Third Wave coffee product superior, but if the other elements of the experience aren’t great, there will be only a very small niche of people willing to take the hassle to get it. In order to grow and become fad-proof all elements of the coffee touch points must be remarkable.

Are you making the best coffee in your city? Great, now it’s time to ask if you are providing the best customer service.