The new Siren Craft System streamlines steps for making beverages and helps employees anticipate changes in customer demand
Joanna Fantozzi
Starbucks has introduced an update to its 2022 proprietary siren system automation technology to help employees meet growing customer demand with new tools and tricks designed to make their jobs easier and faster. Dubbed the “Siren Craft System,” the employee-facing update includes changes like updated streamlined ways of making beverages, and a new in-store employee role that helps where and when they are needed most.
“We started this project in 2023, testing some of these improvements and getting feedback from our partners on what would be most impactful for them,” Sara Trilling, executive vice president and president of Starbucks North America, said in a statement. “We then really started to look at how we can tackle this latent demand and be more efficient in our stores. We looked at beverage sequencing, beverage routines, and new positions to respond to the demand in our stores and work through it more effectively while partners are feeling supported.”
This employee-side system was unveiled two months after the company’s most recent quarterly earnings call, in which Starbucks reported a same-store sales decline for the first time in three years. Part of that decline was attributed to traffic challenges connected to long wait times and product unavailability. In a video released by Starbucks, the company said that this new Siren Craft System is supposed to improve both employee and customer experience, reduce order wait times, and meet consumer demand –particularly during peak times.
A breakdown of the components of the new system is as follows:
New simplified routines for making popular drinks, like a change in “beverage sequencing,” in which employees save time by pulling espresso before steaming the milk when creating a beverage, instead of the other way around
Implementation of the Peak Play Caller employee – a flexible position that acts as a “floater” to help baristas where and when they need it during peak times.
The creation of a digital production manager tool that communicates to employees when demand and traffic are growing, so baristas can be better prepared to meet that demand.
The goal with the new Siren Craft System is to increase customer transparency and improve accuracy of wait times in the Starbucks app.
“Prior to Siren Craft System, we were hearing from some of our partners at certain stores that they felt overburdened during some of our busiest times,” Kionte’ Sheffield, the district manager who worked on the Siren Craft System when it was in pilot mode, said. “They didn't have many ways to anticipate that demand or respond. With Siren Craft System being a solution by partners and for partners, we have an ease of operations – we’re more efficient without it feeling difficult.”
The Siren Craft System has been rolled out to 1,160 stores by the end of May and will scale nationally in the U.S. and Canada by the end of July.
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