If you walk into Henry’s House of Coffee in San Francisco you’ll be met by Henry Kalebjian who greets you with a smile and welcomes you into the establishment he created in 1965.
The wisdom that he gained from working with his father and learning to roast coffee as a young boy translates directly into the questions he might ask you to help you find just the right cup of coffee to brighten up your day. He’ll ask about what you plan to eat with your coffee, what types of flavors you like, what your habits are. It’s almost like magic, the way he’s able to understand you and provide recommendations based on who you are as an individual. It’s a magical experience, it makes you feel warm and invited, it makes you feel important and cared about, and Henry isn’t selling you a cup of coffee, he’s imparting wisdom from 50 years of passion poured into the art of roasting coffee. As the customer you now have a connection to Henry, and to the coffee house, that goes beyond the taste of a warm cup of coffee, you are now part of the family.
In 2014, Hrag Kalebjian, Henry’s son, joined the family business and launched an online store so customers could enjoy Henry’s coffee at home. He wanted to recreate the experience offered in the store, and initially implemented a chat feature so potential customers could talk with the Kalebjians and get a recommendation just like in the store.
The issue was that Henry and Hrag couldn’t be online all the time, and they have so many other tasks to handle as small business owners that it just wasn’t possible to offer immediate assistance to most web visitors.
So Hrag took the wisdom his father had gained over 50 years of helping customers find just the right coffee and he created a coffee matchmaking quiz. If you go to henryshouseofcoffee.com you’ll be met with an offer to try the “Coffee Matchmaker” which will take you to the “virtual Henry” who will then guide you through finding just the right beans for you.
The five questions in the quiz ask you about your preferences and the types of flavors you like. It’s all very simple and straightforward, but also gives you confidence that you’re going to get a recommendation that is actually helpful.
After the five questions you have an option to opt-in and receive a discount from Henry’s, it’s an opportunity to stay in touch if you are interested, but it’s optional so not pushy at all.
Then you get your recommendations, they present three top options to choose from and give you a percentage breakdown of how they match up to your taste profile.
Then you can click in and see each type of coffee in detail and get more information on why it matches up to who you are and your preferences, as well as a button to buy that coffee now.
If you chose to opt in then you’ll get follow-up emails that are personalized to your outcome on the quiz and learn more about Henry’s and the family behind the coffee.
When interact was founded in 2013, I used to tell a story about what it was for, and that story was about walking into a coffee shop where the proprietor makes you feel welcomed, asks you questions, and helps you find just the right beans for your taste. It’s an absolute honor that today, nearly 8 years later, Henry’s House of Coffee is using interact for exactly that purpose. They did an amazing job with it, I highly recommend checking out the whole setup and taking their coffee quiz, I learned from it and I know you will too.
