What is the number one factor to propel mystery shoppers to 5-star ratings and all of the top jobs? Writing A+ reports!

There are a number of factors that help you become a top-rated mystery shopper, but the one that will help you the most is submitting reports that require little or no rework or editing.

Join me for our first teleconference of the new year on Thursday, January 12th at 7:00PM EST. Listen as I talk with Kathy Blumenstock, writer and editor for the New York Times, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, as well as other notable publications, in addition to investigative reporter for Entertainment Tonight and blogger at AnimalPlanet.com.

KB, the name she uses among friends, is also a consultant for Market Viewpoint and reviews your mystery shopping reports! She is spending the evening with us to give real, useful data about what it is you need to write or change in your writing in order to deliver top-notch reports each and every time you hit the “submit” button.

Learn from Kathy:

• Why spelling, grammar and punctuation matter!
• Where commas make a difference and why we all use too many of them
• Weaving details into the story of your experience
• Staying factual in your reporting
• How to write what our clients need to hear
• Which common phrases should not appear in your reports

Kathy’s experience writing for newspapers, magazines, and her current blogging on AnimalPlanet.com will provide you with the expert advice you need to improve the writing and content of your reports.

Spending this hour with Kathy and me could make all the difference in the quality of your reports, and the income they can produce in the new year. Register now and we look forward to spending Thursday night with you!

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When the results come in from your latest round of mystery shops, some of your employees are going to feel like the latest contestants who won Dancing with the Stars. Others…not so much. Ok, I am officially busted. You now know that I am a huge Dancing with the Stars fan. I am a devotee of the beautiful costumes, fabulous music, and very talented professionals who coach the celebrity contestants to become the best dancers they can possibly be. But the thing I am impressed with the most are the professional judges who rate each routine.  They love lavishing praise, (and as managers and supervisors, don’t we all?). But when it comes to rating those dancers who are clearly not going to seeing the mirror ball trophy anytime soon, you can actually see how difficult it is for them. I think it’s the same for us as managers when it comes to meeting with our staff and sharing the results of the latest round of mystery shops. It’s easy to share the news when it’s good and much more difficult when improvement is necessary.

Here are some things to think about as you approach these employee meetings.

• Think of the data contained in the mystery shopping reports as the starting point of a conversation. The data allows you to approach staff performance problems from a third party perspective.
• Lavish praise where employees have done well just like the judges. Be specific with the things you know the staff is doing well and spend time coaching your staff on how to improve. The mystery shopping reports will give you specific examples to cite.
• Give you staff specific things to work on until the next round of shops. This is what the judges do on Dancing with the Stars. They tell the competing couples what they want to see the following week in the way of improvement. It helps to know what your coach or the judge expects.

Are there any tips you care to share when it comes to having those tough discussions with an employee?

As you’re enjoying the next season of Dancing with the Stars, take a tip from their panel of judges and add some new techniques as you coach your staff on their way to delivering the ultimate customer experience.

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Mystery shoppers are like secret agents. They’re on a mission, and they’re invisible to the general public. They swoop in, size up the situation, gather the info, and vanish. You’d never know a mystery shopper was on the scene.

Except when she announces her presence to the world, or at least, the store she’s surveying.  In the swirling aftermath of a post-Christmas sale, I heard the loud clear tones of a woman telling someone that she was “here to do a mystery shop, you know, look at everything and report about customer service and whether the store is clean.”  Her voice carried like a referee’s announcing a first down.  The woman standing closest to her, pushing a packed shopping cart, had mistaken her for a store employee, so she was busily explaining a mystery shopper’s tasks. “I look at everything, and if someone’s not wearing a name tag, I write it down,” she said. “Later I’ll go to the food court.  Last time I mystery shopped here, the pizza was cold.”  The woman with the cart asked a question and our mystery shopper replied, “Oh, the money isn’t great but I get to buy things and I can keep those. Plus they’ll reimburse me for the food. I mystery shop for [another store] too.  It adds up.”

She might have continued but her cell phone summoned her. “I can’t talk, I’m mystery shopping,” she told her caller. By now, several store employees were nearby.  They adjusted their facial expressions from “when’s my next break?” to “how may I help you?”

The temptation to grab her and deliver a lecture on the do’s and don’ts of mystery shopping was too great.  I left the store with increased respect for mystery shoppers who Do It Right, never even THINKING to behave as Miss Loud did. Hey, when there’s one like this on the loose, the high road is the only place to be.

As you consider your choice of a mystery shopping company, ask lots of questions about how they choose their shoppers and how they train them. It may mean the difference between a successful mystery shopping program or a failed one for your organization.

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This final week of the year tends to be a time of reflection for many and we would like to add one more thought to that list. The End result.

Eureka! You’ve decided to run a mystery shopping program so that you can see your business through your customers’ eyes. But what will you do with the data you receive?  Who is receiving it? How will it be distributed? Which departments can utilize the information? Are you going to share it with the individual employees – and use as a reward and recognition program for them? Or will you keep the information for senior management to understand what the customer likes and does not like? There are countless ways to make use of the information the shoppers provide.

Take a moment to consider some of the application of your mystery shopping program:

Human Resources:

Development of training programs

As a companion to the review process

Understanding staffing needs

Marketing:

Defining customer wants/needs for product

Development of marketing venues that the customer notices & prefers

Compliment to market research data

Operations:

Monitor facility conditions

Improve customer retention methods

Ensure product/service quality

Inclusion of a mystery shopping program into your organization can benefit all areas of the company, not just one management need.

We all look forward to a new year, a new start, a new perspective. Make 2010 the one where your organization will focus on the customer perspective – and watch sales and customer satisfaction grow to new heights.

Wishes for a Happy New Year to all!

Our thanks this month to guest blogger, Diane Sweeney. Diane has been with Market Viewpoint for 10 years and is currently VP of Operations. Diane has worked in marketing and human resources for all of her career. She also runs a nutrition consulting firm, Healthy Solutions. Her life-long love of writing now has a venue as a she blogs for Market Viewpoint, her own website, and those of friends. The service industries and the health of the human spirit are topics close to her heart.

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The belief is that our staff will always treat the customer kindly – isn’t that the natural reaction when you are dealing with the public?

Once again, from our treasure trove of mystery shopping stories, we present you with:

Mythbusters of Mystery Shopping:

Real stories from actual mystery shoppers

Mythbuster #2 – Our employees know how to act in front of the customer, no matter what is going on behind the scenes.

FACT: I was conducting a dinner visit at a national casual dining chain restaurant. I arrived with a party of five other women from work, as instructed. We had to wait 20 minutes to be seated on a Monday night as we were told we were a “large party”. Our server was grumpy the whole evening. He rolled his eyes when we asked for separate checks before ordering.  He never offered refills. The worst part was when delivering my steaming hot fajitas, the server wore oven mitts and tried to hand them directly to me!! I asked him to please set them down in front of me, which he did with a loud sigh. Needless to say, the report was not glowing, and we didn’t return to that establishment!

FACT: The location was a highly regarded clothing store in a west coast mall. Both the outside and interior of the shop were in excellent condition. I was greeted promptly by a male with a broad smile, good eye contact and a pleasant voice. He offered to help me at once but I told him that I wanted to browse for a while. There were two other shoppers also checking out items. I selected a few pieces of clothing, placed them on my arm, and returned to the greeter to ask questions about my selections and to try them on in the fitting room. As we were discussing whether or not a fabric shrinks, the manager came stomping out of the back and approached us. Her face was full of anger and her eye of fury. She broke into a shouting rage directed at the associate who was assisting me. Unfortunately because I was standing next to him, the verbal abuse was directed at me also. The other two customers were also submitted to hearing the manager’s wrath.

The associate had not made a major error or stolen anything. I felt empathy for him and thought the manager should have taken him to the back to make her reprimand. It was extremely uncomfortable and unfortunately reflected poorly on the manager and the store.

FACT: I walked into the Cleaners and approached the counter.  A female employee greeted without smiling or making eye contact and asked me for my phone number.  I told her and she entered the number into the computer without looking up at me.  She then went off and immediately came back with clothes and placed them on the rack in front of me.  She did not confirm the amount of items I had cleaned, however I noticed immediately that all of the clothes on the rack did not belong to me as there were two men’s suits included with my 3 blouses.  Without looking up from the register, the employee stated the amount due and held out her hand for my payment.  I told to her that all of the clothes were not mine as I had only brought in 3 ladies blouses.  She looked up at me disgustedly and emphatically said, “Well they have your name on the tag!”  I told her that there must be some mistake as they are not my clothes.  She once again said, “Your name is on them so they must belong to you!”  I suggested to her that it must have been done in error as they are not mine and that I would not be paying for them.  I still was not able to convince her of the mistake; however she did make the adjustment so that I only had to pay for my blouses.  She did not thank me, nor did she apologize for the inconvenience this caused.  My hope is that the man that owned the 2 suits received them back.

BUSTED: Unfortunately, some employees do not realize the lasting effects of their actions or moods on the customer. If there is a competitor down the street, after encounters such as these, your customer is likely to go there to receive the customer service they believe they deserve. Mystery shopping on a regular basis will help to keep situations such as these in check.

Our thanks this month to guest blogger, Diane Sweeney. Diane has been with Market Viewpoint for 10 years and is currently VP of Operations. Diane has worked in marketing and human resources for all of her career. She also runs a nutrition consulting firm, Healthy Solutions. Her life-long love of writing now has a venue as a she blogs for Market Viewpoint, her own website, and those of friends. The service industries and the health of the human spirit are topics close to her heart.

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The holiday season revolves around beliefs, traditions, and stories. Many are true and some have been fabricated; woven and expanded through years, some have become more than the originator expected them to be.

As managers, we believe we hire good, nice, honest people to service our customers. We spend time training them, showing them the ropes and teaching them what customer service is all about. Our belief is that they will present to our customer the true nature of our business and intent. People, however, are human after all, and many like to weave their own version of your business.

From our treasure trove of mystery shopping stories, we present you with:

Mythbusters of Mystery Shopping:

Real stories from actual mystery shoppers

Myth #1: Our staff is honest!

FACT: I was doing a fast food shop once and asked “what’s good?” to the crewperson. He replied “I wouldn’t eat anything here are you kidding me?” If that wasn’t bad enough, as I proceeded to a table to drink my coffee/eat a breakfast item, the manager’s wife came in with their baby. She handed it across the counter to an employee who waited on the next customer as she was holding the baby. This went on for about 15 minutes and the crewpersons kept handing off the baby behind the counter from one to another while the manager’s wife had something to eat in the dining room. If they only knew who was sitting there taking it all in….

FACT: I was sent to evaluate a bar. It was an age compliance shop, meaning, I was supposed to sit at the bar and order an alcoholic beverage. If the bartender didn’t card me, I was supposed to immediately ask to see his manager, and give then a red “try harder” card. If the bartender were to card me, he would be rewarded with a green “congratulations” card on the spot. I sat down and ordered a light beer, the bartender began pouring and didn’t card me. I asked to see the manager and presented the red card. The bartender turns to his boss and says, “Well, look at her. Come on.”. I was very insulted and the bartender was extremely rude with his statement. I’ve never been back and don’t plan a return visit any time soon. I’m young, I tell you!

FACT: Once I was doing a bar shop and things were going as to be expected.  Suddenly, the bartender pours himself a shot and does it.  He then hands one to a customer (whom he apparently knew) without ringing it in, and that customer did a shot.  The bartender ended up consuming three shots while I was at the bar – who knows how many he did after I left!  Needless to say, it was an interesting write up.

BUSTED: Honesty is good to a point! Used to enhance your staff, your business and your customers.  In all likelihood most of your staff is honest and discreet, no matter what their real opinion may be . . . but mystery shopping on a regular basis will uncover those who take it up on themselves to reveal a bit more than necessary!

Our thanks this month to guest blogger, Diane Sweeney. Diane has been with Market Viewpoint for 10 years and is currently VP of Operations. Diane has worked in marketing and human resources for all of her career. She also runs a nutrition consulting firm, Healthy Solutions. Her life-long love of writing now has a venue as a she blogs for Market Viewpoint, her own website, and those of friends. The service industries and the health of the human spirit are topics close to her heart.

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