We’ve gotten used to the pictures on the news of lines of people waiting to buy the hottest new tech product on its first day. The lines are supposed to show how successful that launch is. What makes these lines indicative of success is the fact that people are lining up before the store is open. Long lines when you’re facility is open doesn’t mean your successful, it means you’ve done something wrong.
Recently I was in two different Starbucks. Both had roughly the same amount of customers and they had the exact same products. One had a short line of people waiting to order, a small group of people waiting for their coffee and a large group of people drinking coffee. The other had a long line of people waiting to order, a large group waiting for coffee and some people drinking coffee and a larger group running out the door because now they were running late. Multiple visits to each showed that this was a regular pattern.
The lines at the second Starbucks are not a sign of success. It is a sign that their processes are not working. They are not serving their customers efficiently. Furthermore, talking to several customers revealed that the coffee at the Starbucks with long lines was disappointing. So this particular location was slow and delivering a substandard product. The lines are not a show of success. They are a symptom of a broken system.
When examining your operations, make sure you see what the signs really mean.
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