Starbucks Wants to Balance Technology and Personal Connections

Visit the same Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) more than a few times and chances are you will build connections with store personnel. That may mean being greeted by name, getting a welcoming smile, or having a barista know the special quirks of your order.

Technology, however, can prevent those bonds from being created. Consumers can use the coffee chain's app to place an order and pay for it, bypassing any human interaction. That's a problem that Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson has wrestled with.

"I've seen firsthand the incredible power of technology and the positive impacts it has had on our world, whether it's empowering people with information, enabling them to stay connected or creating business models," Johnson said in a press release. "But it's not until being here at Starbucks that I started to realize there's another dimension to this."

Source Fool.com