Value beyond dollars: Starbucks

Who would have thought a cup of joe could be so complicated? Starbucks taught a generation of caffeine addicts an entirely new language and managed to sell $4 cups of coffee even through a crushing recession. Because Starbucks offers much more than coffee beans, water and milk for $4. They provide an oasis in the middle of your seemingly endless day. Starbucks is a nice place to hang out, with pretty music and nice smells and a clean bathroom you can count on. It's an easy place to meet up for business or pleasure. Why? Because everything about the customer experience has been carefully considered. Starbucks cares about the customer's comfort, and it shows. All that for a $4 cup of coffee seems like a pretty fair bargain.

For mobile service providers the opposite seems to be the case. Nothing about the wireless customer experience is easy, forget about pleasurable. From finding out how to use your device overseas to asking about changing plans, the customer prospect for a positive outcome on the first try is dicey at best. The only thing carriers seem to have going for them is the callous indifference customers appear to have for one mobile service provider over another. According to the latest customer satisfaction research from Oracle, 39 percent of subscribers say they don't bother switching operators because they're all equally under-whelming. It's time for mobile service providers to have their own Starbucks moment and get to the heart of what their customers really want.

Sprint is one carrier gaining traction in that direction with its Framily plan charm offensive aimed at the household Purchaser-in-Chiefs: Moms. Sprint took to the Mommy blogosphere to get their “Mom Ambassadors” talking about how the choose-your-own circle of friends and family plan makes Mom's life easier. Sprint even hosted a #SprintMom event in late 2013 in conjunction with Mom Central where they flew in their Mom Ambassadors to HQ in New York City to talk about how much Sprint cares about them and their lifestyle. And the strategy seems to have worked.

Blogger HalfCrazyMama says “Seriously…this is genius! You can now pick your family…literally, well at least as far as Sprint is concerned. Your best friend since 7th grade, your hair stylist, your mommy group, your running club, they can all be part of your family now with Sprint “Framily” Plans.” 

That's the kind of breathless excitement mobile service providers are looking for, and meeting the needs of actual, modern customers letting them tell the story is a great place to start.