Is Facebook ever dull? Not so long as issues such as this rise from the echo-chamber. Today, the National Post printed a small piece on a Facebook Group (3500+ members strong) created on behalf of Tim Hortons' employees (although whether the creator is an employee is yet to be determined) to "educate" consumers on how to order.
Case in point:
- Stop telling us to “stir it well” there is no button on the cash register for that.
- when you drive up to the speaker box have your order ready, we don’t carry “Give me a seconds” or “Hold ons”
- Don’t ask “What kind of donuts do you have?” come in and look for yourself...
Albeit direct and to-the-point (bordering on... nay, definitely snarky) in terms of its "do's and don'ts", it highlights the growing issue of employees becoming unintended guardians of the brand (assuming that the creator is an employee given her intimate knowledge of all things behind the counter) - in this case from a potentially damaging standpoint. Or is it?
Well-intended it may be - though born out of frustration, no question. It certainly does not reflect the tone that the corporation would want to see communicated to customers. However, in this age of transparency and authenticity, I can't help but wonder if customers wouldn't appreciate such information - packaged perhaps a bit differently. I for one, still can't order anything other than a "regular" coffee, and refuse to say any equivalent of large, one cream, one sugar. And while I support the notion that the customer is king (or queen), I also feel that my time is precious, so any information to move the line forward is appreciated.
Ultimately, I wonder if this form of communication highlights not only the issues and complaints of customers (which typically has been the focus of social media) but also those of employees - who are (in a roundabout way) communicating to their employers that a different form of customer communication could create a better experience all-round.