Stepping into an unfamiliar space, new customers immediately crave comfort—a sense of home. Fewer amenities say “welcome home” better than a hot cup of coffee. From the tantalizing aroma of coffee throughout the office to that first, invigorating sip, coffee has the potential to put office visitors at ease while they’re waiting.
We could wax poetic for hours about how a good cup of java can improve most any scenario, but here are a few ways coffee can improve the waiting room experience for customers.

Coffee boosts the experience

By offering coffee to your customer, you’re sending several implicit messages, but none greater than the one that says you’ve prioritized the customer experience. The simple-yet-valuable notion that you appreciate your customers. By filling their waiting time with pleasure, you’re suggesting the main event—whatever that might be—will also feel premium, professional, and enjoyable. Coffee is top-tier among waiting room “perks” and (thankfully) an added bonus that’s simple to set up for visitors.

Coffee keeps your business up with the standards

Doctor’s offices, dealerships, hair salons—they’ve all upped their game with the waiting room experience, offering everything from children’s toys to calming green spaces to, yes, coffee. Coffee is a visual cue that you care. It’s kindness; it’s hospitality.

In combination with other amenities, coffee rounds out the waiting room experience and, among customers, keeps your business top of mind among the rest of their most memorable business experiences, making your place of business feel like another home away from home.

Coffee keeps the peace and the patience

The worst scene you could see in your waiting room is someone anxiously looking at the clock or fidgeting. A tasty cup of waiting room coffee buys time and patience as you’re preparing to accommodate them and prevents tense conflicts. It also keeps them focused on other forms of entertainment available in the waiting room, like a television or a magazine.

The coffee speaks of your culture

It’s not just the simple act of offering coffee to customers, but what coffee you’re offering them. Are you offering them variety, with individual pods? Maybe you’ve selected a special light roast for the day, or advertise that you rotate out different brews based on the day of the week or a particular holiday—perhaps even giving a customer a small, additional reason to stop by on a different day of the week. Coffee can not only be used as a marketing tool, but to help you build an identity—a culture—with your customers. They’ll remember you by your coffee and keep coming back to engage with your business and all of its other exceptional qualities.

Caffeine generates excitement

Look, here’s the skinny on the caffeine effect: when caffeine is consumed, it does battle with the adenosine receptor in the brain, paving the way for dopamine to do its thing—essentially, what generates excitement. You want an energized customer, especially if it’s one that might be a tad bit more pumped for a purchase than they might have been pre-coffee.

More of your customers are drinking it anyway

Heads up: Millennials, the largest and most diverse population that participates in the U.S. economy, consume 44 percent of U.S. coffee, according to the National Coffee Association in New York. They also fell in love with coffee at a young age. Again, the concept of home is at play here: These customers are going to appreciate the offer of a free beverage and the money they save when you offer free joe and save them a pit stop at the coffee shop.

Coffee is socially agreeable

Beyond being trendy, coffee is also remarkably neutral by all accounts. It’s non-caloric, widely consumed, and it’s an uncontroversial beverage to offer to customers in the waiting area. Sodas and juices, meanwhile, come with beverage baggage. As an added bonus, coffee promotes conversation. Rather than grabbing a ready-made beverage, coffee drinkers “personalize” their drinks with sugar (or a sugar substitute), cinnamon, creamer, or other coffee condiments. During the time they’re adjusting their coffee to their own personal preferences, they can interact with other customers or staff to get the conversation flowing.

Incorporating coffee into your customer culture doesn’t have to be difficult. Victor Allen’s Coffee offers customizable coffee subscriptions that are ideal for office use. Whether you have a private practice, a salon, or meet with clients at the office on a regular basis — our business coffee subscription service allows you to receive as much (or as little) coffee as you need for the month. Choose from single flavors or an assortment of customer favorites.