On a recent visit to a surgeon’s office our family encountered some interesting behavior on the part of the physician.

• He spoke too rapidly. He even knew he was doing this because he asked us to stop him if he was going too fast for us.
• He reached for and checked his beeper twice during the meeting with my family minimizing the importance of our situation.
• Despite the fact that it took over a week to get lab results back, he was unapologetic citing the recent holiday as the excuse for the delay.
• He required that the patient call for the results of her biopsy rather than scheduling her for an appointment in the office. This took away the patient’s ability to ask questions that immediately come to mind when they are given a life threatening diagnosis – like “Am I going to die from this?”  
• His staff was surly and dispassionate despite the fact that they knew they were dealing with a patient who had just been diagnosed with cancer.

Is it any wonder that this surgeon was not chosen as my family member’s surgeon? 

Here are some of the things this type of behavior invites into a medical practice:

• Loss of current business
• Loss of future business because of poor word-of-mouth advertising in the community where many people ask friends and neighbors for doctor referrals
• The establishment of an adversarial rather than a cooperative relationship with the patient, doctor, and their staff
• Poor patient outcomes due to confusion, misunderstanding, and lack of information
• Possible malpractice suits

No matter what industry you’re in, the cornerstones of any solid customer service program – communication, compassion, patience, and understanding are critical. This is especially true in the health care environment. As consumers we know this to be true not only on the macro level of understanding the intentions of our elected officials to revamp our healthcare system, but also on the micro level of our doctor’s offices.

Hmmmm…let me see. If I were a physician I would prescribe taking two doses of compassion…and call me in the morning.

But they had, and not by luck or timing but sheer, repetitive effort. Their savvy coach worked the players so hard, their resentment and desire to “show him” helped them jell into a team. Pride pushed them to display ever-greater effort. Fine tuning their game plan, they didn’t consider the possibility of defeat because they were staying on point, building on each day’s efforts. After the thrill of beating the Soviet team, they remained focused, with a single opponent remaining between them and the gold medal. (Impress your friends by knowing this answer: After beating Russia, the US team beat Finland for the gold!) Their remarkable feat remains unmatched. Today, those former players still cite pure perseverance as the key to their success.

When your customer service efforts seem to be going nowhere, do you refocus like an Olympian on your goal of a better connection? It can be closer than you think.

Twice a week she placed friendly phone calls.”Remember me? I’m ready to sell for you,” she’d say, gently reminding them of her interest. “Eventually you’ll need an ad sales rep, and I really want that job.” It took three months of persistent reminders, but one publisher, impressed by her persistence, created an opening for her. By persevering, the saleswoman got what she wanted.

Sometimes you just have to try and keep trying. If a situation didn’t work, did you ask what would fix it? A healthy dose of perseverance can turn around a not-so-happy customer and keep the current ones smiling.

What kinds of things can you do to persevere in today’s marketplace?

If you are looking to use a mystery shopping company for the first time in your organization, or are considering making a change this year, let me give you a few helpful hints on what to look for in the firm you select.

A mystery shopping company with integrity will follow this code of conduct: 

1. The company you are considering will demonstrate a willingness to spend the time to understand the scope of your project. Just asking a few questions before they give you a quote may not be enough. A firm with integrity will probe to make sure they “get you” and will also offer ideas that you may not have considered for your project.

2. A mystery shopping company with integrity will stand behind their work. A good way to test for this is to see if they offer you a guarantee.

3. Having integrity means that the mystery shopping company has fully disclosed their approach to your project in their contract with you. What? No contract? Demand one so that you are protected by the agreement.

4. A mystery shopping company with integrity is also one that protects your data. They do not change/corrupt the feedback from their field researchers in an attempt to sugar coat your results.

5. Choosing a firm with integrity means that you will experience communication throughout the process, checking in with progress reports, letting you know that things are running smoothly and when they are not. 

When choosing a mystery shopping company, take your time and consider the core values of the firms you are considering. If integrity isn’t one of those values…keep looking!

What does integrity mean to you?  

It seems like people have a hard time being creative at this time of year. Maybe they used up all of their creativity over the holidays. My point is this, those messages for success and profitability in 2011 are all the same after a while.  To capture my attention (and the attention of a lot of other people) you need to be different in the way you do business and that includes the way your reach your customers and the messages you send. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of competition out there.

So instead of my wishing all of you who are a part of this blogging community a “Happy New Year”, let me tell what my hopes are for you in 2011:

As a part of our blogging community, I hope…

• all of your customers become raving fans of your products and services
• all of your customers tell all of their friends on Facebook and Twitter how great it is to do business with you
• your customers can readily see the value in what you sell and never quibble about price
• your vendors, clients, contractors, and employees call or email you back within 24 hours
• every resource you need is within your reach
• all of your customers are repeaters
• every experience a customer has with you is fabulous
• all of your employees are top performers
• 2011 is your best year yet

What do you hope for your customers?

He said that our work generally falls into one of three categories:

A Job – something we do for the money,

A Career – something we do for the perceived opportunity for advancement,

A Calling – something we would do for the sheer love of doing it regardless of whether or not we get paid.

As you look around and observe your staff next week, see if you can spot those who are there for the love of the work.  If you are able to spot them, so can your customers and customers enjoy working with employees who have a passion for their work.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. How can I keep these employees at the front of my operations and in touch with my customers as often as possible?

2. How can I create more opportunities for employees to experience their “calling”?

Enjoy the week ahead and may you be one of the lucky ones, who truly loves what you do for a living.

Customer experiences

At the last minute, something happened that was going to take one of us in the opposite direction after we met for breakfast so we decided to change the venue to a little mom and pop place that serves up breakfast and lunch and a fabulous customer experience.

Here’s how they do it:

This great little cafe understands the value of food that has personality. They have items on their menu that are different, unique, fresh, and fun.

The other thing that the owners of this cafe understand is the importance of having a fun quirky waitstaff. Our waitress, on this particular morning, was memorable in a very good way. Her appearance and personality were fun and funky and her demeanor indicated that she is as definitely a “morning person”.

And the environment…what a great place to hang out! The decor of this cafe is “island shabby chic”. It’s a visually enjoyable environment that invites the customer to chill out and relax.

My friend Jane and I left that cafe and meeting feeling a sense of accomplishment and so much more. It affected the rest of our day. The infusion of delicious creative food, a beautiful environment, and that quirky waitress into my day was so memorable that I can’t wait to go back for more! The choice of the national chain is out and the quirky cafe is in!

So let me ask you…what are you doing to be a little bit quirky in your business? What are you doing to be memorable?

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Mystery shoppers

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.

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.

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.