Confero Blog

Do Tough Economic Times Result in Customer Service Improvements?

by Elaine Buxton

A business acquaintance recently asked my opinion on the current state of customer service in this tough economy. The reason? She had just returned from some routine business travel and found the customer service, from beginning to end, to be nothing short of effusive. I could not stop her as she sang the praises of the taxi driver, the airline gate agent, the flight attendants, the bell staff, the concierge, the restaurant servers, and on and on. She reported that she felt an obvious, heartfelt appreciation of her patronage from many employees.

What was her explanation of this phenomenon? Perhaps the current economic circumstances have made the service workers increasingly grateful for their continued employment. Surely those who are grateful for their jobs would be grateful for the customers who make their jobs possible. Perhaps this could be the return of unilateral great customer service, where customers feel truly appreciated.

I pondered her observation and tried to find similar situations in my own hometown, to explore her theory in consumer perception on a local level. I found her theory played out well in some businesses, and in others, the opposite effect seemed to be true. Customers were ignored while employees debated who would be given more working hours that week, or discussed the fate of their colleagues who had recently been laid off, speculating about who would “be next,” even guessing how long the establishment would remain open for business. What could account for the differences in scenario?

I suggest: Leadership. Optimistic managers can turn our economic circumstance into opportunity for teaching the true value of customer satisfaction in terms of retention, word of mouth advertising, repeat business, recovery opportunities when something goes wrong, and other possibly positive domino effects. These optimistic employees are really “feeling it”: that appreciation of customers, who are a beginning of all good things that can happen for a business.

The customers themselves are a variable in the economic downturn. Those harder-earned dollars are won and parted with less quickly. This means that an employee’s genuine thank you, a “little-something-extra” attention, or an establishment’s real, heartfelt care for detail really resonates with the customer. Show extra service and appreciation at just the time the customer needs it: what a tremendous opportunity to win customers!

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Why Organizations Use Mystery Shoppers

by Elaine Buxton

When I tell friends that I work for a firm that provides mystery shopping services, I am surprised by the responses. They are intrigued with the idea of mystery shopping and want to become mystery shoppers themselves. Most have experienced positive and negative interactions in buying situations and have wanted to convey feedback on their experiences.

Aside from an interest in secret shopping on a personal level, the average consumer does not think about why companies choose a secret shopping service as a way to measure the customer experience . Consider the goals of those companies that use them:

-Deliver excellent customer service consistently. Most companies do not have the ability to monitor employee service behaviors on a day-to -day basis. As managers review mystery shop reports over time, they gain insight on how employees are living up to company service expectations. They can use this ongoing information to ensure that they give their employees the right tools and coaching to provide great service on a regular basis.

-Expect a high level of customer service from every employee. In a company with a well-run mystery shopping program , employees know that managers will commend those employees who perform well when shopped, and work toward improvement with those who don’t make the grade. Mystery shops contain specific behavior expectations for each position type, making them a great way for companies to move all employees to the same level of customer service delivery.

For companies that set goals like these and work hard to meet them, mystery shop programs are well worth exploring.

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Confero Mystery Shopper Newsletter July 24 2009

by Confero Inc.

Confero on Facebook!

Confero has joined Facebook!!
Become a fan of our company page today! We are hoping Facebook will allow us to better our communication with shoppers. Look for daily updates from our schedulers and exciting new information and contests!

Monthly Mystery Shopper Payments

Shopper payments for July have been posted. Check your PayPal account if you conducted a shop for Confero in June. As a reminder, payments are issued on or around the 25th of each month following the month of completion.

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IVR Surveys vs Mystery Shops

by Elaine Buxton

Interactive Voice Response Interviewing (IVR) and Mystery Shops are both effective ways to measure customer experience quality. When looking at a choice between the two methods or a combination of both, it’s important to consider three key areas:

1. How is the client experience information gathered?
With IVR , customers call an automated system and answer survey questions about their most recent experience. A big advantage is that the company can listen to actual customer comments. With a mystery shop program, shoppers pose as customers and report on their observations. The company benefits by receiving shop information on the exact employee behaviors that they are interested in gathering data about.

2. How many customer responses are collected?
In an IVR , customers dial into a phone survey at their convenience. With this method, firms frequently offer rewards for survey participation, which translates into higher response rates in comparison to other survey methods. With mystery shop programs, there’s no need to worry about response rates. The company determines the number of shops and the frequency, and receives a pre-determined number of completed shops by a specified date on a regular basis.

3. How do the questioning methods in IVR Surveys and Mystery Shops differ?
Each customer responds to the exact same questions phrased in the same way when using the IVR method. This eliminates subjectivity associated with interview bias. With a mystery shop solution, shoppers conduct the shops using company-specific guidelines. These guidelines instruct the mystery shoppers to look for certain behaviors, notice specific conditions or listen for specific words. The mystery shop provider uses quality assurance measures to ensure that mystery shoppers follow the guidelines.

IVR responses will tell you what customers thought. Mystery Shop responses will tell you how the location performed against your standard. Used together, mystery shops and IVR surveys can paint a valuable, detailed picture of customer service delivery.Here’s a quick comparison:

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Confero, Inc. Names Business Development Manager

by Confero Inc.

CARY, N.C. —Elaine Buxton, president of Confero, Inc., (www.conferoinc.com), a national customer experience measurement firm, has announced that Janet Morrison has been named business development manager. Morrison joins Confero with more than 20 years of marketing and sales experience, and 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. Her background includes leading client service and sales initiatives, business development, sales management, marketing research and focus group moderation. Most recently, Morrison served as the regional sales and marketing officer with BB&T, and was responsible for communicating mystery shop goals and results, providing guidance to managers on how to access mystery shop results, encouraging improvement and recognizing employees for superior mystery shop behaviors.

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