» Secret Mystery Shopping

Most companies hire people for secret mystery shopping to improve their business prospects. Whether a company is in the production business or service industry it has to take certain measures to increase its profits.

Good Customer Service Is Essential

The most important requirement is that the product or service of the company should be of high standard. However this alone cannot determine the success of any business. It is equally important to provide good customer service to prospective clients so that they become permanent customers.

This implies that every prospective customer must be treated with importance. Customer care employees must promptly enquire how they can help a particular customer.

Whether in giving information, choosing a product or in returning it, the employee must help the customer so that he does not waste time in finding his way around the shop.

By hiring people for secret mystery shopping , a service company can determine how its employees treat its customers. For instance, if a client makes a phone call to a company to clear some doubt, at no cost should his call be left unattended due to which he is made to wait indefinitely.

Every customer wants good value for his time and money. Thus employees must be courteous and prompt in their dealings with clients.

Company managers might choose to carry out an assessment of their employees by themselves. But this will never give the right picture as the judgment will be biased towards the company. Similarly, if an external organization is asked to assess the company performance it can detect that there is a reduction in profits but cannot give the exact reason.

A good method to assess a company is to hire secret mystery shopping experts. They are trained personnel who pose as real shoppers and visit a shop or office to buy a product or inquire about it.

They may even make a phone call to ask about its services. All this is done with the idea of gauging the standard of customer service of the company. For instance, do the employees of the company receive the phone call promptly or keep the caller on hold Also, do they ask a customer visiting a shop how they can help him

Help The Company To Make Suitable Changes

However, quality control shoppers should be well trained in the job so that the employees do not get a hint that they are under check. That will make them cautious and hence the assessment will be incorrect.

The anonymous shoppers will prepare a report regarding the work attitude of the employees and submit it to the company.
 
The aim of such shoppers is not to find faults with the employees but to understand their problems and help them improve. Experts based on results of secret mystery shopping can also advise the company to make necessary amendments. For instance, there may not be enough manpower to handle the increased work load of the company.

Training courses and seminars must be organized to train the employees on how to handle different kinds of customers. There are many quality control companies, so it is essential to search for a reliable and experienced one. The personnel should be well trained to make the right assessment, since an incorrect negative report can be demoralizing for the employees.

Most quality control companies have their own website with contact details where owners can clarify details, such as fees charged and clients they have worked for.

Companies can improve their performance by hiring a reliable agency for secret mystery shopping .

Storage : http://www.storage-mart.com

Tweet This Post 

Secret Mystery Shopping is a quality assurance technique that allows you to judge the quality of your company customer related services using a hidden observer. The hidden observer is usually a researcher disguised as a customer who is able to experience what a real customer would experience by way of service and give relevant feedback. There are several benefits of this technique which make it a very popular means of evaluating and improving the quality of customer satisfaction scores. Some of the advantages of secret mystery shopping over traditional research are given below

1. Accuracy Of Observation – If the CEO or any other senior of the company would walk in, the experience they have is by no means reflective of what a normal customer would experience. Similarly if a quality professional were to walk in announcing who he was, he or she would again experience something different from a regular customer. Only if an unidentified researcher posing as a customer walks in would he be able to experience behavior that approximates real customer situations. Therefore only secret mystery shopping really allows you to find out what is happening in the first place. Is the sales staff helpful were the store displays in order is the communication in line with agreed brand values.
2. Comparison Shopping – Quality is relative. The evaluation of a company services and products will change depending on competitive offerings. This service allows you to have disguised customers move around in competitive spaces and give you live feedback as regards areas of improvement. You can find out their weak points and strength areas and use the information to your advantage. Most importantly you find out what is important or not important from the customer point of view.
3. Neutral Or Third Party Point Of View – Secret Mystery Shopping also allows a completely unbiased not to mention professional view of customer services. This is important since internal people have a tendency to develop a blind spot however good their intentions or expertise.
4. Customer Point Of View – The best part of this technique is that it is customer oriented and therefore more likely to spot errors. It is as one would call it outside in rather that inside out. It works with the customer as the focus point and not the product or service as is usually the case. As a result you are able to spot errors better or make improvements that the customer could encounter or notice.
5. Stress Tests – lastly, secret mystery shopping allows you to test the system with extreme kinds of possibilities.  You can arrange for an angry irate shopper, rude shopper or even a badly dressed shopper, depending on what you think the weak points of your company staff are. Did the staff also become rude Did the badly dressed customer not get the standard service Did the staff make attempts to calm or understand the customers behavior will be some of the questions you will need to ask at the end of the exercise. Depending on how the customer is handled you can determine your need for retraining or even rehiring.

Interestingly companies have noticed a clear improvement after making the results of such an exercise known. People obviously have a tendency to put up a better show if they think they are being watched. So it is a good idea to let telesales know that some calls are heard or recorded. It is even better to play back some actual interactions to make sure that everybody is on their best behavior when speaking to customers.

Similarly when you employ secret mystery shopping , it may be a good idea to prepare the staff in advance. But in that case you must ensure that you actually do record actual behavior and play it back to them to ensure that there is no credibility loss for the management.

Tweet This Post 

Secret Mystery Shopping is perhaps the most popular technique to evaluate the current condition of the service related business. It has become an indispensable way of modern market survey. There is no secret or mystery behind this shopping. It is scientifically very much effective. It is a process where appointed people perform shopping secretly in pre-detected shops.

It is called the secret mystery shopping because the shoppers do not disclose their identity while shopping. This appointed shoppers like an ordinary shopper come to shop in any departmental store and side by side they keep their eyes on how the business is going on. They keep their identity a secret because if they disclose their identity the business persons will try to hide their faults. It is overall a funny thing and not at all strenuous. That is why people from different aspects of life may join in this service if they want.

Secret mystery shopping provides double fun to the people who are engaged in it. This work turns their dream of shopping into reality and when they also earn some money for it the fun doubles. But if you think that there is only fun in the job then you are wrong. Though the work can be done at any time which is most convenient for you, but still there is a deadline for submitting the report and that has to be met. Try to maintain that because there is a great competition in this work and unless you become punctual you cannot survive here. As the work is not at all that strenuous any aged person or other employed persons or mothers of young children who have a bit of time in their hand may utilize it according to their wish.

If you go through the websites you will find that there are lots of companies who provide secret mystery shopping . Before joining try to acquire as much as information about that provider because there are few providers who are cheaters. They lure common people with high promises and high rewards. Try to avoid them. One thing is very much clear that the return in this work is not at all huge. To increase your income, try to work for more than one provider. There is no such rule that you will not be able to engage in more than one company as long as you do your work sincerely.

One question may haunt your mind and that is, why secret mystery shopping ? In this world the competition is at its height and every one is trying to maintain their position. The first place holder tries to keep its position tight and those who are in backward position will try to come forward. So it is clear that every one likes progress and for this reason they should know their negative points so that they can rectify them. For this purpose companies seek help of experienced and specialists. These specialists provide special shopping in return of payment for the market survey. This shopping can be done anywhere, in any retail shops, in any eating house, in casino, in any gas station, in coffee shop, in a pub, self storage or in a small grocery store of your locality. Actually it surveys the interaction between the customer and the business persons. The main aim of this shopping is betterment and quality control with the help of some anonymous people applied to this job.

Fairfield Self Storage

Highland Heights Self Storage

Tweet This Post 

Self Storage Blog A diary of the self storage industry

Tweet This Post 

What Now???

Here in the Secret Shopping Division at PhoneSmart we make your calls and complete the evaluations each month. Once we send them to you, the ball is in your court. However, we still want you to know that we are here to coach you through the entire process. We realize that just making calls and sending evaluations alone won’t give you the outcome you’re looking for. Secret Shops are a tool, and like any tool, they must be picked up and used in order to build your profitable business.

We understand that each of your employees may be at a different level in their sales training. In order to level the playing field and get everyone on the same team, we have a few ideas that can make secret shopping a fun tool.

First determine the method you will use to implement your secret shops. Then identify what level your employee may be on and put some of these suggestions into play.

Methodologies:
• Will your shops be used as bonus?
• Will secret shopping scores be part of annual reviews, pay rates, etc.?
• Will your shops be used to monitor and maintain company standards?
• Will you set goals for each employee or property?

If you’re happy with your scores?
Congratulations!!! It takes a lot of hard work and determination to reach your goal. In order to maintain this high level of efficiency we recommend:
o Rewarding employees with consistently high scores
o Using your star employees to teach others
o Promoting or giving more responsibility to encourage company loyalty

If you see consistently middle scores?
It isn’t uncommon to get stuck in a rut. We often do things out of habit, repeating our action but expecting a different outcome. The key to advancing is to identify what techniques are working for you and which ones aren’t. Your facility may stay at a certain level of capacity just because of the location, it’s your goal to drive revenue and boost your bottom line. Here are a few suggestions that can help develop your selling skills:
o Try our Role Playing Helpline
o Focus on one aspect of your sales presentation at a time
o Refresh your employees with a training program
o Set a realistic goal and celebrate when you’ve achieved it

If you have consistently low scores?
Don’t’ fret; you’ve taken the first step in the right direction! Secret shopping is a great way to increase sales knowledge and maintain a level of consistency. There are numerous ways to improve your scores which in turn will directly affect your profit.
o Have you given your staff a sales training course?
o Repeat your training, or use the PhoneSmart training packet
o Use our Role Playing Helpline
o Set goals and make sure your staff is aware of them
o Do your employees hear their shops and see their evaluations

Training Ideas:
• Use our Role Playing Helpline
• Try our Training Packet
• Make it fun!
• Offer an incentive for scores that improve
• Have a pizza training night (Who doesn’t love pizza?)
• Ask your best employees to share what they do that gets positive results
• Start small
• Work on one item at a time, then build on what works
• Keep staff refreshed with pop quizzes or surprise visits

Incentive/ Bonus Ideas:
• $$$
• Have the owner/ supervisor detail the winner’s car
• A day of paid vacation
• Tickets to the movies
• Dinner at a favorite restaurant
• Display awards
• Create a “Wall of Fame”
• Mention a great employee’s name in newsletters
• Display everyone’s scores
• Be creative!!!

Are you missing a piece of the puzzle???

As a result of client demand, PhoneSmart has developed the complete sales solution! Please take this opportunity to explore our winning sales solution.

We’ve broken down basic consumer needs into these four categories. Which areas are you most concerned with?

Missed Calls

Sales Training

Generating More Leads

Increasing Conversion Rates

Call or email us today and we can help you achieve great success in any or all of these areas.

We appreciate your business!

Natalie Thomas Sarah Little
866-639-1715 866-639-1715
nthomas@phone-smart.net sarahlittle@phone-smart.net

Tweet This Post 

Welcome to the secret shopping blog, our diary of the secret shopping and mystery shopping world.

One way to make your secrets shopping efforts work is to make sure you sales strategy works. Study your customers, your staff and your offering and make sure the strategy lines up with your customer’s practical and emotional needs, your staff’s capabilities and your offering’s uniqueness.

I can probably help you with that. I will be in Miami on Oct. 28th giving a seminar called “Winning Sales Strategies” for the Inside Self storage conference. This will help you fine-tune your existing strategy or help you scrap your old and create a new. For details, look at www.insideselfstorage.com .

Tron

Tweet This Post 

Welcome to the secret shopping blog, our diary of the secret shopping and mystery shopping world.

I ofeten have less than wonderful exeoriences with businesses and sometimes think I should complain…specially as a secret shopping insider!

I was driven to write a note to Days Inn about an experience I had at one of their properties. Here it is.

Dear Mary,

I received your letter of 10/10. Here is the history of events leading to the attempt to cancel my reservation at the New Paltz Days Inn. On Weds. The 2nd of October I stayed a night at the Inn. The room smelled bad, the heater was incredibly noisy, and there was human hair in the bathroom sink and tub. There was dust and dirt in areas that should be easy to reach for the cleaning staff. It was very late, around midnight, when I checked in, after a full day of travelling from Central Missouri.

The last thing I wanted to do was to spend more time awake comparing and changing rooms. The next morning when I went to check out, there was no one in the office, so I left my keys at the desk waved to the cleaning staff person that I saw in the distance in the walk –way and went about my day. I then called the customer service line later in the day to cancel the reservation I had made for the three days in question. The customer service line said they could not help me and referred me to the local property. I called the local property and spoke to a woman who answered the phone, She said only the owner can cancel the reservation. I played phone tag with him during the day and was unable to reach him.

I made it clear to both the customer service line reps and the woman at the property that this was an unusual circumstance. I understand you have a 72-hour cancellation policy. That is fine under usual conditions. When I finally did talk live to Mr. Patel from the local store, he made it clear to me he would not cancel the room or refund the $407.00 dollars in question, even if I felt the room was a dump.

I travel frequently and know others who travel frequently. If this issue is resolved to my satisfaction. That is, if my credit card is refunded the $407.16, I will assure you that I will tell everyone I can about how you were able to make it right with me and I will pledge to stay at a Days Inn whenever possible in each of the 15 business trips I am planning next year. If the only response I get from this situation is “too bad, so sad”, I will never stay at a Days Inn ever again and will be as loud a voice as possible complaining about the “gotcha” tactics that you and your local property have used in this instance.

I leave the ball in your court. Is it the goal of your department to make it right with a customer or to create interference and try and wear down my resistance to a “gotcha” tactic? If your customer service department is seen as a profit center by your superiors, then refunding the $407.16 to my credit card would create immeasurable good will as well as real revenue from my business and the business of others I tell about you. On the other hand the profit from the $407.16 could never even come close to the lost revenue and lost good will that will happen because of it.

Sincerely ,

Tron Jordheim

Since I am posting this two years after I originally wrote it, you know they never refunded my money and I have not stayed at another days inn, and I am still complaining.

Too bad for them.

Tweet This Post 

Welcome to the secret shopping blog, our window on the world of mystery shopping and secrets shopping.

I just reviewed some secret shop data for one of our clients. They are a national wireless phone company. We have a meeting with them next week, so I was making some charts and putting together some stats.

We shopped 10 of their local stores 40 times last month. Some of the tendencies we saw were that only 25% of the associates tried to suggest the best minute plan for the customer’s needs. And 32% invited the caller to come into the store. These two areas should be the most important when making your presentation over the phone.

It is important for any associate to demonstrate or explain their product. The more you educate your customer, the more comfortable they will feel with the product. They will also feel committed to your company. It is especially important to feel comfortable using your wireless phone because options vary so much in this industry. Although an associate may not be able to get into great detail over the phone about the buttons on your cell phone, they should be able to make you feel that you will get the best rate plan with them. The associate can finish the sale in the store.

It should be natural for any phone call to lead to an invitation to come into the store. By extending an invitation you let the caller know that you want to help. But more importantly, you get commitment from them, and stop them from shopping around.

These stats ring true for many other businesses. Are your associates determining the needs of the callers? Or are they just answering the phone to say hello? Do they try to get commitment from customers shopping around?

Ta ta for now…
Sarah

Tweet This Post 

Welcome to the secret shopping blog, our view into the world of msytery shopping and secret shopping.

“Under Construction”

So we’re under construction at our office. This is our story. Last July, my co-worker Sarah and I decided we needed to update the look of our office. We got approval for our design ideas and went to work. We got all the tools we needed – paint, brushes, trays, tape, wallpaper remover, etc. Sarah and I recruited both of our husbands to help us with this job since we wanted it to be finished over the weekend, essentially one and a half days.
We started out by scoring our wallpaper, spraying on the wallpaper remover and peeling it off for seven hours on Friday night. We were both at work until 2 in the morning ripping off tiny shreds of paper and piling it in the middle of the floor. We occasionally took ice cream breaks and eventually got so delirious from lack of sleep that we had to leave and begin again the next morning.
That day, our husbands came to lend us some extra hands since we painted the walls, the ceiling and the trim as well as our file cabinet and our desks. We finished painting for the most part that day. It ended up being another 13 hour working day and there were still some touch ups that needed to be done. Sarah and her husband came in later that night to finish things up and begin moving the furniture back into the office.
So we got all settled into our new pretty space that was much more soothing than the “stressful wallpaper” as Sarah called it. Shortly after our room was updated, we were blessed with new ergonomic desks and our office was complete.
Just recently, we were asked to move out of our beautiful office to make room for some generators and back up power supplies. We reluctantly took our desks apart and moved them into a larger room with 2 other people in the administration office. Our new office space was nice and open, with a glass door and a big picture window that faces a busy street with many distractions. Shortly after we moved into this space, we were told that they were re-facing the outside of the building and that meant covering up our window to the outside world. So our window is covered up – on the outside; but at least we still have the glass door that lets in some beautiful morning sunlight.
It’s nice to know that we have the freedom to make our office space our personal space as well. The experience of constant construction isn’t something new to me. The home I grew up in was built from the ground up by my father and grandfather. They began building before I was born and surprisingly enough, it’s still not finished. So the sound of hammers and saws makes me feel right at home. The finished product is worth the inconvenience of having to listen to the construction guys’ rock ’n’ roll and dodge the nails and screws in the parking lot to save our tires.

Laura

Tweet This Post