PhoneSmart’s Secret Shopper and Evaluator Training Process

In addition to the training we sell to our Secret Shopping clients, we have also created a training packet for our Secret Shoppers and Evaluators.

At first, our training for the Shoppers was very basic. We gave a few hints and tips to avoid going undetected. We suggested that they forget everything they know about storage and think about what a layman would ask when shopping for storage. In addition to this, we asked them to remember some of the things they’d heard from shoppers when taking calls in the Call Center. It was easy for everyone to remember their favorite call or the most wacky request or item that was going into the storage unit. They were encouraged to have fun and develop their characters as much as they thought would be necessary.

Of course, we had some shoppers that were nervous about “pretending” and not telling “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” But once they completed their first few shops and found how easy going the managers were, they quickly learned that it’s a piece of cake!

It wasn’t until several months into our Secret Shopping project, that we discovered that even though our shoppers were uniformed when it came to storage, they were asking all the right questions and making the manager’s job very easy. I quickly put together a more detailed training book for the Shoppers instructing them on what questions were and were not appropriate. Basically, I incorporated the Evaluator training into the Shopper training so they would know how not to interfere with the manager getting a good score on their evaluation. Our goal was and is to be as neutral as possible and to provide the most accurate test of their sales skills as possible.

As for the Evaluators, their training has been very detailed and thorough from the very beginning. When I started in the Secret Shopping department, our standards were very high – for our Shoppers/Evaluators and for the managers that we shopped. To make sure that we consistently meet those standards, we continue to review our new Evaluator’s work until we feel it’s of the quality our clients deserve and have come to expect. For this reason, it’s been difficult to find and retain good evaluators.

When I began doing the Secret Shops, they were hand-written. This presented some challenges that we didn’t expect. Not only did we have to find and train Evaluators, they also had to have nice hand-writing. Unfortunately, this eliminated several potentially good Evaluators. Once we started getting more and more clients, it became more and more difficult to continue doing the evaluations by hand. After several tries, we figured the easiest way to do the evaluations online that could be taught to everyone who wasn’t so familiar with the program. Doing the evaluations online truly has saved an enormous amount of time and has opened the door to several opportunities with people we would not have normally been able to use as an Evaluator.

Our evaluation form is very simple and easy to use so once they got the hang of using the computer to complete the evaluations, our Evaluators were off to a great start.

It’s amazing how much actually goes into calling someone, then rating how well they did.
Laura

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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You Know What Happens When You Make Assumptions…

In the PhoneSmart Secret Shopping department, one of our goals is to help our clients avoid making assumptions. The reason is simple, it makes it harder to find easy opportunities to help the caller and get their business. It’s usually never a good idea to make assumptions about your potential customer or their situation.

Here are some of the common assumptions we run into and the reasons to avoid them.

• The date the product or service is needed
In our experience in the rental industry, many times, the client we’re shopping will assume that the caller has an immediate need. If what they are looking for is unavailable immediately, unfortunately, they’ve already told the caller that they don’t have anything available. It’s much more difficult to regain the caller’s interest and attention after this than it is to just ask when they need service in the first place.
• The convenience of the office or location
Usually the clients we shop will ask if the caller knows where the office or facility is located, but not if it’s convenient. This is important because it helps the manager determine what they need to do next. If the caller lives across town from where they’re located, our client has to do that much more to sell their product or service and encourage a visit.
• What product or service best suits the caller’s needs
In the storage industry, one of the most important things to do is determine the right size for the job. If the caller is vague or doesn’t really know, that’s not the time to guess. It’s better to keep asking questions to determine their needs. Another good way to get around this is to help them by comparing and giving visual aids to judge size. The manager could also offer a few choices if the caller isn’t sure.
• The budget
Sometimes during our secret shops, we hear a discouraging tone in the manager’s voice. They don’t give the caller a chance to decline the sale, they assume that they aren’t going to – so they don’t.
• Their hesitation
It might be easy to assume that a challenge or concern when asked for the business means “No Sale!” But again, it’s an assumption. If our client is presented with a challenge or more questions about the service, they simply have another chance to show pride in their service or product.

One assumption that is safe to make is “I’m going to make this sale!” If our clients answer their calls with the assumption that they are going to get business from every customer, they will give everyone the same opportunity and likely get more business. Assuming that everyone is a potential buyer will also help them be more consistent with their service and it will be better service to boot!

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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