Category: Mystery Shopping

 

As I’m deep into the customer experience industry, I am always aware of customer service as I’m out and about in my personal life. I recently had a wonderful experience with an associate at Rue 21 that I wanted to share as an example of employees who go above and beyond to assist customers.

 

My oldest daughter recently started high school. While this is already a nervous time for teens, it was impacted by the fact that she was moving from a small, private elementary school to a larger, public high school. She was not only going from a class of 30 that she’s been with since Kindergarten to a school of almost 4,000, but she has been wearing school uniforms for the last nine years.

 

As you can imagine, she was very unsure of herself when it came to back to school shopping. She didn’t know what other kids were wearing, and, I think in part, basing her perceptions on shows she watches on television. It was frustrating for both of us, until we visited Rue 21.

 

We had never been there before, so I didn’t know what to expect. As we shopped, we were greeted by associates and reapproached after several minutes of browsing, which I would expect from any retail store. Then something wonderful happened….

 

We approached the counter when we thought we were finished selecting clothes. The associate, doing her part, asked if we found everything okay and then pointed out that a few of the items we selected were “buy one, get one for $3.00.” This made my daughter happy, and she made a comment about being thrilled to be buying more items since she’s been “stuck” in a uniform for the last several years.

 

The associate heard this comment and started asking my daughter questions about her school, what high school she was going to, etc. She then made the comment that she must be nervous about clothes shopping for school for the first time. She then took the time to look through what my daughter selected and assured her that she saw many other teens buying similar items. It was taken a step further when she walked around the store with my daughter, making recommendations based on my daughter’s responses to her questions about likes and dislikes. She helped her make outfit choices and offered suggestions.

 

As we finally checked out, she told us her name and encouraged my daughter to ‘stop by any time” and she’d be more than happy to help her pick things out.

 

My daughter felt so much better after leaving the store and was reassured more than I could do for her as ‘just her mom’ who she probably thinks is out of touch with teenagers. Hearing these words of encouragement from someone who works at the store gave her a world of confidence and she felt much better about the entire experience.

 

The associate didn’t have to do this; my daughter was making the comment about the uniforms to me, not the associate. Even if she had overheard it, she didn’t have to go out of her way as she did to help my daughter. She did more than increase sales; she was reassuring and encouraging to a teenage girl. That was well worth any amount of money we spent that day.

 

It’s experiences like these that make customers loyal. This is now my daughter’s favorite store by far, and we will return on a regular basis because of how kindly we were treated.

 

Whether it’s your mystery shopping or customer feedback survey, making sure the response choices get the best data possible is key to a successful program.

 

There are small variances that can make a world of difference in how people respond to a question, one of which lies in the answer options. This article discussing rating scale tips offers a good explanation of why it’s important to be uniformed in response choices, and to strongly consider what response options you will use.

 

The suggestions offered include:

 

• Use 5-point scales when rating against one attribute (unipolar scales, for example: “Not at all satisfied” through “Completely satisfied”)
• Use 7-point scales when rating against polar opposites (bipolar scales, for example: “Extremely likely to recommend against” through “Extremely likely to recommend”)
• Use unipolar scales instead of bipolar scales wherever possible, as such scales are shorter and less confusing to respondents
• Use fully labeled scales without showing respondents any numeric ratings – such scales are preferred by respondents and have higher reliability and predictive validity than numeric scales
• List rating scales with the most negative item first, to prevent order-effect bias from inflating your ratings
• Use common scales whenever possible, rather than writing your own scales
• If you do choose to write your own scales, follow one or two common patterns when framing your choices
• Develop guidelines as to the common scales to use across your organization and your research, so that you can compare the results from study to study and from department to department

 

I particularly like the suggestions for using the same rating system across all questions when possible, keeping the response options in the same order (negative to positive or vice versa), and not using numerical ratings. In the last situation, customers then focus on the experience and what terminology fits best versus a “score.” People react to “scoring” things, especially when it comes to an employee instead of an operational aspect, such as cleanliness or appearance.

 

Keeping things uniform and making sure that the questions accurately and objectively reflect what you’d like to know will go a long way in a successful feedback or mystery shopping program.

 

 

 

 

 

Mystery shoppers are supposed to remain anonymous while they are evaluating businesses. However, some companies will choose a slightly different route for their shops, which are typically called “reveal shops.”

 

These are typically shorter evaluations that are not traditional in the sense that they are evaluating the entire shopping experience; often times, they will be looking for one or two key behaviors – perhaps asking for identification from a customer purchasing liquor or tobacco, or a cashier mentioning a specific promotion.

 

Once the shopper completes their task, they are then to “reveal” themselves to the staff. Most times if the staff does well and meets the criteria, the shopper rewards them with an on the spot bonus, gift card, or other incentive as provided by the client.

 

This is a good (and fun) way to spot check specific performance points, especially when done well. I’ve seen this done several ways – sometimes the shopper only reveals him or herself if the employee does well and is to get an incentive; other times I’ve seen where the shopper is revealed no matter the outcome, which can be a little trickier. Years ago, Chuck E Cheese had an internal program in which the “shopper” was given red and green cards and were told what to evaluate. When they saw an employee doing what was expected, the “shopper” was to hand out a green card, and when they saw something that didn’t meet standards, they were to hand out a red card. The staff was then responsible for turning them into their manager. This was probably the one method I really didn’t like – it’s an awkward situation for both the shopper and the receiver of the red card, and I often times wondered how often the “red” employees were turning in their cards! Because it was an internal program and not handled through a mystery shopping provider, I wondered how well managed it was.

 

There are some things to consider if you want to try a reveal program:

 

1. Don’t replace your current program: reveals shops are meant to look for one or two specific things. It should not replace your full blow program because you won’t get the same detailed data.

 

2. Decide how to implement the reveal: some companies prefer to keep it truly positive, only doing the reveal when the employee does well and receives an incentive. I like this approach best because it’s more positive, is more comfortable for both the shopper and the employee, and employees will be more “on their toes” waiting for their opportunity. When employees don’t meet the standard, calling them out publicly in front of coworkers and the shopper, who is a stranger to them, can create a negative vibe for the program.

 

It’s also necessary to decide how the reveal will happen and if the shopper will reveal themselves to the employee they interacted with or the manager. It may depend on if you choose to reveal both positive and negative, or just focus on the positive. After all, it would be great fun for the employee to be rewarded on the spot – it could make their day!

 

3. Think through the effects of not being rewarded: this is especially true if you choose to have the shopper be revealed no matter the outcome. A few years back a shopper had to visit the bar in a restaurant to see if she was carded. She was then to reveal herself to the manager at the end of the visit no matter the outcome. Unfortunately, the bartender did not card her and she had to let the manager know. Instead of waiting for the shopper to leave, the manager confronted the bartender in front of the shopper and other customers. The bartender became visibly angry and got confrontational with the shopper to the point that she asked for an escort out of the restaurant.

 

This situation was handled poorly on many levels, but it’s good to learn from. Especially in cases where the staff doesn’t meet standards, it’s good to not only wait for the shopper to leave the building, but to handle it in a more private setting, perhaps after the shift is over.

 

I’ve also seen a case where a negative reveal was handled in a positive manner. A quick serve restaurant wanted to implement a reveal program in which the shopper would reveal his or her presence to the employee at the end of the shop no matter the outcome. However, they wanted the staff to know that not meeting the standards was not the end of the world, but it was something to be aware of and make better in the future.

 

To alleviate embarrassment and negativity, they provided the shopper with a very small trophy that depicted a plate of nachos with an inscription that read something along the lines of “it’s just ‘nacho’ day” (say that out loud and you’ll get it). It’s a fun way to turn a negative into a learning experience.

 

Reveal shops can be a quick way to check specific aspects of the experience and get the staff pumped up and excited to do well for you. If you’ve ever used a reveal shop, please share – we’d love to hear your thoughts!