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Month: June 2013

Why Aren’t Employees Doing Their Jobs Right?

 

If you want to find out, ask them!

 

I was reviewing comments from customers on a customer feedback survey, and for the question asking how the store can improve, the customer said, “Ask your employees what is keeping them from doing their jobs right and then work to fix it.”

 

That got me thinking….what a simple concept, yet it may not be utilized, at least not to its full potential.

 

Having frank and open conversations with your employees, whether it be face to face individually, in group situations, or in a more anonymous setting where employees can provide feedback online or via a mobile device, can yield some very valuable information.

 

If employees aren’t doing something correctly, it may be a training issue – they may not have the knowlege or feel comfortable with what they were trained on to carry out the tasks you want them to.

 

Is a location suffering from poor management? Maybe it doesn’t appear that way on your end, but if you send a trend in employee feedback that signals a management issue causing poor morale, you need to know this, as it can be hurting your bottom line.

 

It’s no secret that engaging your employees and continually gathering their opinions, feedback, and suggestions is vital to the success and morale of your company – study after study shows that companies with high employee morale yield the best sales numbers, and happy employees lead to satisfied customers. I think that with economic conditions over the last several years, budget cuts, and staff needing to do more with less resources, an environment where people aren’t really listening to each other has been created. Companies need to take the time to actively listen to their employees and better understand their struggles and obstacles to excellent service performance.

 

How does your company achieve this? Do you feel your company excels in gathering employee feedback & insights? If so, please share with the community so we can all learn from each other!

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How To Get The Most Value From Your Mystery Shopping Program

 

Companies across all industries realize the importance of mystery shopping. It’s an excellent service, but one that can face hardships when budgets are cut or are limited.

 

I’ve seen companies who, in good faith, are trying to get the most information possible from their mystery shopping program.  There are times, however, when it’s not a good idea to move forward with a program that is too intense or makes it obvious when a mystery shopper is present.

 

The first example focuses on the retail stores with multiple departments. Many larger companies are inclined to have shoppers visit multiple departments within one visit to evaluate as many staff members as possible. The thinking behind this is valid, but doesn’t work across the board. In a grocery store, for example, this can work well – customers typically visit the deli, baker, and checkout in one visit. Adding a question of a staff in an aisle or in the produce section won’t make shoppers appear any different from the average customer. This could even be successful in a larger retail or big box store.

 

If you have a small drug and grocery chain, however, where the stores are much more compact and perhaps not as busy, this will not work as well. I know when I visit my local drug store, it’s not always very crowded and, because it’s rather small, I would stand out like a sore thumb if I stopped to ask questions at the pharamacy, beauty counter, from a staff in the aisle, and the photo center.

 

The second example revolves around quick serve restaurants that offer a drive thru. I’ve seen many programs where shoppers are required to dine in and then make a drive thru purchase. Again, in some (more rare) cases, this is okay; however, if this process is done month in and month out, employees will start looking for this pattern to peg the shopper. In these cases it’s best to mix it up if you really want to have both aspects of your restaurant to be evaluated consistently – maybe include the drive thru component one month, then do separate dine in and carry out shops for a few months, rinse and repeat. Not only does it keep employees on their toes, but it  also keeps your program fresh.

 

When shops are ungrouped like this, I realize there can be additional cost involved that you may not be able to handle. In that case, perhaps rotating departments to be evaluated each shopping period will give you the data you need while keeping the program anonymous.

 

Do you have any tips for mystery shopping businesses with multiple departments? Feel free to share with the community – we can all learn from each other!

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Engage Customers On Their Terms

 

Back in the day, customers had limited methods to engage with your business – visiting your location, calling or emailing with questions and concerns, or your website. Today there are a myriad of ways for consumers to engage, and businesses need to react to consumer demands.

 

The customer experience has changed dramatically – they want more immediate responses, on their own terms. If you’re not using a variety of methods to engage and gain insight from your consumers, you  may be missing the boat. Successful companies realize that they need to engage with consumers using the technology that they are most comfortable with.

 

The Customer Engagement Console is one way to enhance your feedback programs and engagement levels. This tablet based console can be placed in high traffic areas to encourage customer engagement.

 

We have recently released a video series highlighting the Customer Engagement Console program – each video highlights another use for the program and gives you insight into how this can benefit your company.

 

We invite you to view the first installment, which provides a nice general overview of the program. Please check back often, as we’ll be releasing more installments over the next few weeks.

 

 

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