❌Small details are everything in service.
I’ve shared many times how much I love (or… loved?) the coffee shop near my home.
They have great coffee, but more importantly — they always made me feel like a valued guest. Sometimes my coffee was ready before I even walked in.
They have a loyalty program: every 10th coffee is free. So I’d usually get at least two free coffees a month. That’s nice.
But today, when I showed my card, just two coffees away from my free one, they told me they had switched to a digital system, and my points weren’t transferred.
And honestly, that upset me. And it’s not about the coffee or points directly.
It’s about loyalty. When you’re part of a loyalty program, you want to feel that your actions lead to a guaranteed outcome.
That there’s a structure, some kind of return for showing up again and again. Even in small things, it’s disappointing when that trust breaks. Because this kind of trust is what builds bigger systems, strong projects, real relationships.
So, I’m sitting here, drinking my coffee, and thinking maybe it’s time to start looking at other coffee shops too.