I wanted to be a Baker…
A lesson in customer experience during a crisis.
But I couldn’t raise the dough. Literally. Like many of us, Austin is under a shelter-in-place order. While reading everything in sight, including the latest issue of Bon Appetit’ I came across a recipe for Focaccia. My wife thought it would go great with the pasta meal she was making for tomorrow night’s dinner. Since visits to the grocery store were still permitted, off I went to our local Whole Foods for some flour and yeast. On arrival, I was greeted by friendly employees who politely asked me to wait outside until some shoppers exited. The wait was short, and I was soon in the baking goods aisle. There before me were 4 long empty shelves that had previously held a variety of different flours used for baking. I managed to find the last 2 bags, located in the far back corner of one shelf. Then came my million-dollar question to a pleasant Whole Foods’ employee standing a few feet from me…. Where would I find the yeast? She gave me this somewhat empathetic gaze that seemed to convey, you poor man, haven’t you heard about the pandemic? as she said, “you’re in the right aisle but we’ve been out for at least a week”. Out of yeast? Thus, began my quest for locating a $1 packet of yeast!
Little did I realize that among the shopping carts I had seen overflowing with toilet paper, cases of water, chicken, canned goods, sugar and frozen vegetables were packets of yeast being hoarded by frightened citizens. Undeterred, I began my internet search for a packet of yeast. eBay had them! $10 for a packet. No thanks. Costco. Target. HEB. No Luck. My local Walmart listed them as in-stock so off I rushed only to find their online inventory differed from what was in the store. Finally, in the wee hours of the night, I found a 16-ounce package of yeast (enough to last me 5 years!), reasonably priced, in-stock and shipped to arrive in a few days.
Now that might have been the end to an interesting customer experience story for some but unbeknownst to me, the real experience was just beginning to happen. I began sharing my yeast adventure with clients, colleagues, and friends. The spouse of a client overheard me talking about my dilemma and suggested I try sourdough bread – in which yeast was not needed but I would need a starter. My wife shared the need for yeast with a friend in Austin whose husband is a fantastic bread maker. He offered to share some yeast he had to get me started. I shared the story during my graduate course as an example of supply and demand to which a student suggested I try sourdough bread as well and recommended a great book on the subject, Flour Water Salt Yeast The Fundamentals of Artisan Break and Pizza by Ken Forkish to help me. On one of many virtual happy hours, one of my high school friends, a culinary-trained baker shared her thoughts on how to produce the best bread while the rest of us decided on our next call we should share “quarantine” recipes with the group.
My starter is percolating. The yeast has arrived. A new book on the subject is in the mail. And the pressure is on to succeed at bread making. Funny thing is, I haven’t made the Foccacia or the loaf of sourdough bread yet. But the journey along the way has been unforgettable.
And shouldn’t that be the case for our customers? Should the journey be as important as the result? This is especially true during these times of crisis when every part of our way of life has been upended. Knowing that we can count on each other to celebrate the little things like a packet of yeast for a loaf of bread gives us the strength to tackle the crisis that confronts us. How we navigate this crisis as family members, neighbors, colleagues and as CX professionals will demonstrate our ability to survive today and thrive tomorrow when the crisis has passed. Stay safe and healthy! Keep Baking!