So, about the crisis of January 2022. A very strange phenomenon. Right after our best week since March 2021, we immediately got hit with our worst week since July 2021. An odd contrast, which I’ve tried to explain with the following reasons.
First, temperatures dropped below freezing. Even the sun, when it occasionally appeared, was no help. When it is cold and windy, there are just fewer people out on the streets.
Second, stricter “safety measures” against the spread of COVID. Suddenly, vaccination or recovery certificates were required everywhere. And in Austria, a lot of people were strongly against these certificates. Very strongly. They preferred to stay at home rather than walk around the city.
Third, even among those who had certificates, many chose not to go out. They were too afraid of catching COVID, which at that moment was peaking in Austria.
Fourth, a massive number of people were in quarantine. Either sick themselves, or living with sick family members, or close contacts of those who were.
And finally—there was no official lockdown. Which meant that the very small number of people who did decide to leave the house often chose to sit indoors somewhere, given the weather, instead of walking up to a coffee window on the street.
Of course, none of these reasons were things I could influence. All I could do was observe and adapt. Which is exactly what I started trying to do. We cut out all nonessential purchases, canceled or postponed contracts that had already been signed, and so on.
At the same time, we began thinking of ways to raise sales, spark new interest, and increase revenue. That is why we introduced cascara. That is why we began quickly working on a loyalty program. That is why our training center was already on the way. That is why I pushed as hard as I could to finally launch the roasting operation. Crisis is opportunity. Crisis is creativity. And we had to take advantage of that.
But then, it suddenly hit me: aside from all those external factors beyond our control, there was one factor we could control directly—our customer service at Fenster. Yes, you read that right. I’m saying it myself. It had become an issue.
We weren’t paying enough attention in our interactions with customers. We weren’t creating the kind of atmosphere we should. We had turned into automatic robots—just pouring coffee, with no spark, no real interest. The staff had stopped caring about the experience and were going through the motions, the same way most of our competitors do.
This happened because, in the wake of all the huge reforms at Fenster, we had run out of resources to keep close oversight of the team. Left to manage themselves, the staff slipped into “energy-saving mode,” which clearly didn’t include positive, engaged service.
The result? Fewer online reviews. More “not-great” ratings. That’s serious. But even worse—some regular customers stopped coming entirely. And that is very bad.
Recognizing the problem is crucial. That is why we immediately began working on it. One major change: from now on, management has to work a barista shift in Fenster every week. To maintain direct contact with customers, to feel the workflow firsthand, and most importantly, to monitor and guide the team. I think this practice will become permanent. We’ll see what the results are.
And of course, regular discussions with the staff about problems and goals—to make sure everyone understands what we are doing and why. I truly hope we can overcome this.
The year has started off stormy and difficult. And I can already feel it—this is only the beginning. Looking at the workload we planned and prepared last year for this one, there will be absolutely no time for gloom. So, let’s go!
As for me—I am already enjoying a delicious cup. This time, a guest coffee from Lviv, from our friends at Svit Kavy. A lovely Ethiopian Sidamo in a Chemex—perfect! Thank you, colleagues!
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