Wireless Charging at a Starbucks Near You! Partnering in the Removal of Pain/Drain Points

You have seen us. If you are honest you will admit to being one of us. We are the people trying to appear inconspicuous as we feverishly look for an available power outlet to recharge our laptops, tablets, or cellular phones. We are easily located in a wide number of locations including airports and Starbucks stores. Well, we used to be found in Starbucks stores… In my most recent book, Leading the Starbucks Way, I noted: "Other technology explorations at Starbucks look to enhance the quality of the coffeehouse experience. One such example is the wireless charging spots with Duracell Powermat…In an effort to decrease the power source search, Starbucks leaders have placed inductive charging technology into some of its tabletops in select Boston, Massachusetts locations. The purpose of this effort is to assess how customers respond to emerging charging technologies in the context of their overall utility in the café experience.” I am now happy to announce, the assessment phase is over and the technology charging mat is being rolled out at 200 stores in the San Francisco area. Look for them in a Starbucks store near you soon. So here’s the quick lesson. Starbucks is not a technology company but they are on the cutting edge working with technology companies to remove pain points for their customers. That begs the question, who can you partner with to smooth out the experiences of those you serve?