Fired for a Timbit? True? Then Tim Hortons Should "Kill a Stupid Rule"
Every senior executive knows that creating a differentiated customer experiences drives business. As well, every senior executive knows that if you enable your employees to deliver your brand with passion at every touch point you will have loyal customers for life. So what happened at Tim Hortons a well known quick service Canadian restaurant chain that specializes in fresh coffee, baked goods and lunches?
According to a newspaper article, Nicole Lilliman was fired yesterday from her Tim Hortons job for giving away ONE 16-cent timbit (donut) to a child who was crying in the store. According to Nicole:“The baby was about 11 months old, and she gave her the treat to quiet her, since her mom – a Tims' regular – had been ``having a bad day."
Sound ludicrous? Well, according to the District Manager, Nicole Mitchell, giving food away is against the rules. Huh? Doesn’t the District Manager know that this is the experience economy? Any great company would have killed that “stupid rule” a long time ago. And frankly most companies would have rewarded an employee that used common sense to help a mother with a crying child.
I am not a big Tim Hortons fan. Frankly, I don’t really like the experience. I decided I did not want to frequent the stores a long time ago when I noticed a sign in their stores that warned customers that shouldn’t loiter - that made me select Starbucks as my place to enjoy my coffee and the experience. This is just another example of a “stupid rule” that needs to be “killed”!
If I was running Tim Hortons, I would do a quick audit of all of the other “stupid rules” that prevent the company from enabling its employees from really delivering an experience that will cement customers for life!
Let us know your thoughts.
