When They Don’t Follow the Scenario
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Every company has standards about how customers are to be served. The standards may relate to time (e.g., how long before a customer is acknowledged or how long it takes to complete a transaction), language (e.g., the exact greeting or thank you to be used), selling skills (e.g., questions employees are to ask or the use of suggestive selling techniques) or any other areas important to the success of the business.
These standards are usually communicated to employees before they even begin working with customers, and are reinforced with ongoing training. But what should you do as a mystery shopper if it appears that this particular employee didn’t get the memo?
You’ve been there, right? You are presenting the scenario exactly as it was given to you; however, the employee is not responding as they are supposed to.
Most mystery shoppers want the employees they are evaluating to do well, so the instinctive response may be to “help” them by gently leading them in the direction they are supposed to go: asking questions or making suggestions to get them back on track. For example, if the employee is supposed to recommend a service contract, the shopper might ask questions about the warranty or what happens if the product breaks after the warranty expires, leading the employee to mention the service contract. This is not what you should do.
Remember that mystery shopping evaluates whether or not a particular location and its employees are upholding the standards set by that business. We are there as objective observers, and we should not do anything to influence the outcome of the mystery shop. Do not make it easy for employees by leading them to do what they are supposed to do. The client wants to know if employees are doing the things they have been trained to do. Leading them to do the right thing, then saying that, yes, they did it as they were supposed to, gives false information to the client.
Of course, you should not make it hard for the employee to do his or her job, either. Act interested in what they are telling you, and respond appropriately. Depending on the situation, that might mean smiling, nodding, saying, “I see,” or asking follow-up questions. Don’t try to rush them through the presentation by sending signals that you are in a hurry. Do your job by letting them do their jobs.
Follow the employee’s lead. If an employee does not make a product suggestion, or ask the questions they are supposed to ask, just go along with what they are doing. Later, when you write the report, give honest answers regarding what happened and exactly what the employee said and did.
Cathy Stucker is the author of The Mystery Shopper’s Manual.
2 Responses to 'When They Don’t Follow the Scenario'
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on July 26th, 2007 at 10:28 am
I agree. When I go to do a shop I just try to forget that it is even a shop, of course I have to remember certain things and time the shop but other than that I try to pretend like I am just looking for a new product. This is easy for me becuase I usually shop around before I buy anyway.
on September 3rd, 2007 at 11:34 am
It seems like over the past 90 days, I have run across more store employees who “didn’t get the memo”. I have had to lead almost every shop to get things going. I can be standing right before two sales associates who would rather talk to one another (and not about business) than to wait on me, the customer. Worse yet, they continue to talk to one another once one of them does acknowledge me and both of them stand looking at me like a deer in the headlights. I just forge ahead … however, not easily.