Betty Yorke is a Solink superstar, one of those amazing clients who never misses an opportunity to talk about the benefits of the Solink platform and app. As the owner of two Tim Hortons locations in New Brunswick, Betty was an early Solink adopter and one of our first Tim Hortons franchisee clients–a pioneer who helped Solink prove its value to the brand, which has now named Solink its premier Schedule A security vendor.
We spoke to Betty and she is as excited about the future possibilities of Solink as she is by the already-proven benefits. She was eager to discuss the ways it has improved her business operations, cut her costs, and made her employees, managers, and customers safer and happier.
Tell us about your first experience with Solink at Tim Hortons.
Two and a half years ago I had a call from Solink asking if I was interested, and at that time it just wasn’t in my budget; but after I decided to try it, it paid for itself in no time. And then I wished I had been sold it when they first called me!
“I wish I had done it sooner. You can’t afford not to have Solink.”
What was that moment that really sold you on on Solink?
Within the first week of using Solink, we had a report from a customer that there was a slip and fall in our parking lot. A woman’s mother had fallen and hurt both her knees and was taken to the hospital. We went onto Solink and we could instantly pinpoint by timestamp and purchase details exactly when they were on site, so we could see them walk out of the restaurant, get in the car, and drive away. There was absolutely zero incident. After I saw that I said, “Why didn’t I get Solink earlier?”
How does Solink help you in your operations management?
My manager and I have utilized Solink for more than just investigating. We use it to manage our staffing and review the entire business.
We use Solink as a training tool to make sure instructions are being followed, being proactive instead of reactive on every shift–are we serving optimal product? Is our restaurant inviting to our guests? Is there room for improvement? That could be the exterior, the drive thru, the interior. And what does the showcase look like? Are our staffing levels appropriate?
How does Solink help improve the customer experience?
Lots of times, when you’re busy, you feel that you’re doing everything that you can to serve the guests but from the other side, from a customer’s perspective, the customers think we can do better. Solink gives us the opportunity to see it through the customer’s eyes. We have a great tool available to us through the brand for scheduling, but when you look at it from a customer’s perspective, sometimes you see that you’re actually overstaffed, and that can lead to lower productivity.
Solink gives us an opportunity to be proactive instead of reactive but also is a great training tool–you can teach someone and you can show them; but are they implementing that as part of their best practices throughout their shift? Solink lets us know, and we can adapt training based on what we see.
Does Solink help you identify your superstars?
We have an opportunity to recognize people also. Because of the clarity (of the cameras) you can tell where a customer has been upset and you can also read the reaction from our employee. We can reach out to people to say “Hey, you did a great job with that customer yesterday, you handled it very well.”
How else does Solink help with staffing challenges?
We have cameras everywhere on the property and to date we’ve had zero employee injuries reported. Our rates for workers comp have dropped because we’re able to review best practices, making sure people are following our procedures properly.
Do you have anything to say, owner to owner, to people who may be considering Solink?
I wish I had done it sooner. You can’t afford not to have Solink. When I follow up with other owners who have taken my advice they’re saying the same thing: “You can’t afford not to have it in this day and age.” I recommend it to everyone.
To see all the different ways Solink can help your business, book a demo today.
