Author: lford

Most people have experienced the ‘pass-off’.   In a world where customer service no longer seems to be a priority, being passed off to someone else for assistance seems insignificant most of the time, but it can also make us feel as though we are not important.  As a Mystery Shopper, emotions are not impacted as much when we are passed off to someone else – but frustration is felt almost immediately.

Continue reading “Mystery Shopper Tips: ‘Oh No! My Target Passed Me Off to Another Associate!’”

One of the many important mystery shopping tips for any shop contract for a customer service representative is to come up with a believable story that will set the stage for them to sell you on their product or service. Companies want to know how well their associates are performing, but to be fair mystery shoppers should be engaged and present a real-life situation.

This means being involved in the customer service interaction, asking questions, presenting concerns, and coming across as genuinely interested.

To create a plausible story, try these mystery shopping tips:

1. Be believable:  Whatever mystery shopper story you conjure up should probably be something that’s either happened to you before or is happening to you now. Once, I signed up for a shop near the airport, but I had just started seeing a pilot, so I pretended he wanted me to move closer to the airport. That way when I was asked what airline he worked for, I wasn’t caught off guard.
2. Be involved: Ask questions that are appropriate to the sale. You might ask about reviews by others, what type of warranty or guarantees are offered, etc.
3. Be real: Prospects want to feel like they are making a good buying decision. So they drill down to what is important to them. Some ask about the area or if it’s a safe place to live. You can easily work these into the conversation when you tie back into your personal situation – like saying there are a lot of break-ins where you live now or how the last TV you bought was broken in less than six months. People who really are looking to buy will ask questions that indicate they care.
4. Be particular: Don’t just roll over and play “sold”. Real customers don’t give in right away on big purchase decisions, so neither should a mystery shopper.  Everyone has something special they want their new phone to do, or some particular feature or layout design they want in a new apartment home. Don’t be afraid to ask for it.
5. Be hesitant: It’s important to see how a professional tries to overcome any obstacles that creep up. So, if you’re not feeling it 100% when the salesperson makes their presentation (and remember as a mystery shopper you shouldn’t be), say so. You wish it came in black, you’d rather have a first floor, you think the location is too far away from your job, or something else. If they are really good, they’ll have a positive they can counter any negative with, even if they can’t really fix your gripe. For the sales agent, it’s all about selling the pros and downplaying any cons!

Feel free to check out our other mystery shopping tips, too.

An experienced mystery shopper could win an Oscar, but even beginners can hone their mystery shopping skills starting with their very first mystery shop contract. When you’re convincing, it allows the person you are shopping to be just as convincing in their attempt to sell you.  Come back for additional mystery shopping tips in the future.

 

When the leasing office is busy, there may be times that the office team cannot handle all the guest traffic. In fact, they may not even realize a maintenance person had stepped in to help a customer until after the prospect has come and gone. Yes, when a customer wanders into the office only to find that everyone is out on tour and only one of the maintenance associates happens to have stopped into the office, guess what might happen.

Continue reading “Mystery Shopping the Maintenance Man”

How to Enhance Your Recall During and After Your Shop

One of the biggest challenges we face as shoppers is remembering all of the details for our reports and recounting them accurately and objectively.   The mystery shopping tips provided here are from actual mystery shoppers, and should help enhance your experiences.

I must admit, I was a little overwhelmed after my first on-site mystery shop.   I opened the report, and my stomach was in knots.  I remember thinking, “How can I possibly remember everything, and how can I submit a report if I DON’T remember everything exactly as it was?”  I said to myself, “This is like filling out a Police report!”  The Who, What, Where, When, and How of mystery shopping can be intimidating.

Well, the truth is, you probably cannot, and will not, remember every single detail, no matter what you do.   But, do not lose heart.  You can stack the deck in your favor by practicing a few simple techniques.  Your mind is a wonderful, amazing thing.  You’ll remember more than you think you will, even if you do not take specific steps to enhance your memory.   Here are some tips I use to maximize my potential for remembering more and for getting to a place where it becomes completely natural, almost second nature.  What we say in our mystery shopping reports matters, especially to the employee who is being evaluated.  Taking a few moments to increase your ability to remember can make a big difference in the quality of your mystery shopping reports.

Here are a few things that I have found help me, and I hope they will be useful for you too!

 

Mystery shopping tip #1

• When I arrive on-site, I never just hop out of the car.  Always check the time and make a note of it before leaving the car.  You may think you will remember, but you may not.  Don’t take a chance – get into the habit of checking the time and writing it down every time you arrive on-site for a shop.  (Subsequently, when you return to the car after the shop, get into the routine of checking the time again and writing it down before starting your car.  You will thank yourself later when you are doing your mystery shopping report!

 

Mystery shopping tip #2

• Repeat a few things to yourself silently while you are there.  I make a note of, and repeat to myself, the employee’s hair and eye color, and I actually say to myself, silently of course, “Blonde and blue,” or, “Bald and brown.”  You get the idea.  You will be surprised at how well this simple technique works and how it can help you to remember the details about the employee’s appearance.  Again, you think you will never forget but can find yourself straining to remember just a few hours later (especially if you go directly from one shop to another).

 

Mystery shopping tip #3

• Once I have made a point to remember what color the consultant’s eyes and hair are, and what they are wearing, I look for a name tag.  Have you ever left a shop and realized that you did not notice, or do not remember this?  Get into the habit of looking for it, and soon you will be doing it without even thinking about it!

 

Mystery shopping tip #4

• I look around and make a mental note about my surroundings.  I actually say to myself, “Dark wood desk, blue walls, and brown patterned carpet.”  This sounds simplistic, but there is something about the act of looking at these things and describing them to yourself briefly and silently, or making a “mental note” as a conscious act, that goes a long way toward helping your brain to “do its thing”.   So often, we see, but don’t REALLY SEE what is right in front of us!

 

Mystery shopping tip #5

• I try to LISTEN attentively, pay attention to what they say, what questions they ask, how they interact with me as a customer.  Again, LISTEN, AND MAKE MENTAL NOTES ABOUT WHAT IS SAID.  It is possible to get caught up in the shop and realize when you leave that you did not make a conscious effort to notice important components of the shop.  If you just pay attention, listen, and make mental notes to last until you can pull over and actually make written notes, your mystery shopping reports will be more detailed, complete, and accurate.

 

Mystery shopping tip #6

• Give every employee the best opportunity to succeed and to shine during your shop.  Don’t do or say anything to discourage them.  The employee’s success depends on you to remember when they do something right and to report it.  Give them your full attention and you will decrease the likelihood of forgetting something important.

 

Mystery shopping tip #7

• After getting in the car, jotting down the time, and leaving the location, find a place to pull over out of sight to make notes about the employee’s appearance and any other details you can remember. You can use shorthand as long as you know you can read it later! Any notes you make right after the tour will be extremely helpful to you later when you are completing your mystery shopping report.

 

See other mystery shopping tips from the pros at Ellis partners in Mystery shopping since 1984.

Finally, relax and have fun!  Mystery shopping provides you with an opportunity to meet new people and to experience things you might not otherwise!  Give it your full attention and allow the employee to do their best.

 

Sandra S-

Are you considering becoming a mystery shopper but you aren’t sure what all it takes?  ‘It might be expensive. I might need a lot of stuff I don’t have.’ There are just a few mystery shopping tools you need to get started as a mystery shopper, and they’re things most people already have.

Continue reading “5 Mystery Shopping Tools Every Mystery Shopper Needs”

We are all looking for ways to supplement our income.   With the economy being in such distress and gas prices jumping to an all time high, any extra income would be a great help.  A part time job may not be ideal as you will have to report to work on a predetermined schedule given by your boss.

One solution: Make money mystery shopping, quickly and easily as an independent contractor.

Continue reading “Make Money Mystery Shopping”

 

The holidays present some unique challenges for shoppers.  Most of these can be overcome with a little forethought, preparation, and planning.  Here are a few mystery shopping tips to keep in mind during December.

 

After the change from Daylight Savings Time in November, the hours available to conduct your on-site mystery shops before dusk decrease dramatically.  Gone are the days when it stays light out until almost nine p.m.  All off a sudden, you look around at 4:30 and realize that dusk is upon you!  During the summer months, it is not unusual to tour as late as 5:30 p.m.  However, most apartment communities do not allow their leasing agents to show apartments after dusk, so you must plan your winter shopping assignments accordingly.

 

• Try to take advantage of the morning hours to conduct on-site shops.  Most communities open between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
• Incorporate travel time into your planning so that you arrive before dusk.  Don’t just plan to arrive at the community at dusk.  You will probably be told that you cannot tour if there is not sufficient time to see the apartment and the amenities before it gets dark.
• Arriving before the threat of darkness will allow the leasing professional to make a full presentation without feeling rushed.  The agent should never feel they need to cut their presentation short.  Give them every opportunity to shine without pressure.

 

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and New Year’s Eve all occur during December.  The following things should be taken into consideration when scheduling shop contracts around these holidays.

• Many employees take vacation time off during the holidays.  If you get a leasing professional on the phone today, he/she may not be in tomorrow.  Try to schedule your onsite shops on the same day you conduct your phone shop.
• If you are not planning to visit the same day, ask the target agent if they will be in the following day.  If they say they will be off but their colleague can help you, try to work something out so that you can visit the community the same day.  If not, discreetly ask when they will return by saying something like, “Oh, aren’t you lucky!  How long will you be away?”
• Keep in mind that most communities close on major holidays.  Know what holidays are coming up when you accept a shop contract and check your personal calendar to make sure you can shop before the holiday, or during the days following the holiday, depending on how soon you can reach the intended professional.
• Sometimes businesses close on the day before after a holiday, too. If a holiday occurs on a weekend day, some businesses close on the Friday before or the Monday after the holiday.

 

Most apartment communities cannot show you an apartment when it is snowing outside if the amount of snow is significant.  During the cold weather months, check the weather report.  If it is snowing or snow is in the immediate forecast, do not schedule an on-site tour.  Stay in, stay warm and safe, and schedule your appointment for another day.

 

Some communities close early when it is snowing or right before a holiday.  If you are planning to visit late in the day, confirm that they are not closing early that day. Always, allow adequate time to travel safely to your destination if there is snow or ice on the roads.  Schedule your appointments accordingly so that you are not rushed. Wear appropriate shoes and dress in layers during the cold months.   If the sun is shining when you leave the house, your tour later in the day might be sabotaged if the weather turns cold.

 

Visit our mystery shopping tips page for additional strategies that work all season (and year) long.