Tag: customer experience

No manager wants to be in this situation: An employee arrives at work wearing something that does not fit with the company dress code.  When this happens, usually the manager talks to the employee about what not to wear to work.  Whether the inappropriate clothes are flip flops or short shorts, the conversation is necessary because most managers acknowledge that employee appearances go hand in hand with a positive brand.

Employees are your brand, regardless of whether front line associates interact with loan customers, restaurant diners or car owners.   Employee appearances matter because they impact customer experience.  Within the retail environment, uniforms and consistent dress codes allow customers to easily identify the employees who can assist them.  Formal business attire can inspire confidence within banking, financial service and automotive sales environments.

Our experience in employee recognition and on-the-spot rewards in different industries has opened our eyes to the creative ideas introduced by our clients and our client services team. 

This idea is one of our favorites. The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority (RDUAA), a long time client, honors associates who score 100% on the mystery shops Confero conducts at the RDU airport. The airport authority changes the gift over time and tracks which employee receives which item, so that the award item is always fresh and

If your company collects customer feedback, comment cards, store visit or field audit report information in spreadsheets, you may be missing out on the information’s maximum value. Comparisons and correlations of the data collected provide key insights that you may miss if the information is hidden inside multiple spreadsheets managed by multiple people.  Here’s a prime example:

1. In person, one on one:  One of the best ways to gain impact from mystery shops is to meet with employees one-on-one to discuss results.  If an employee does not score well on a shop, managers need to coach the employee privately. They can discuss ways to improve the customer interaction and also the employee’s concerns with any of the mystery shop expectations.
    
2. Email:  Companies send summary emails about regional and company performance within each mystery shopping area to keep everyone on the right track.  Highlighting the high-scoring areas compliments employees, while detailing often-missed sections lets employees know where to place more effort.
    
3. Staff meetings:  Whether at the unit, regional, or district level, staff meetings provide good opportunities to discuss mystery shop outcomes and improvement strategies for the more difficult areas of the mystery shop. For example, if many associates struggle with a closing question, use a staff meeting to brainstorm ideas about asking for the business. If some employees hesitate to refer customers to other departments, dig deeper into the reasons to develop process improvements.
    

Customer service is full of surprises. Sometimes, no matter how well we plan customer service strategies, something goes awry.  Usually, the customer is the first to know and the associate may be taken by surprise.   How does your team handle service recovery? Is your team prepared to respond in the best way possible when service recovery is needed?

Last month, Confero posed an interesting question to mystery shoppers:

Mystery shoppers observe and report on customer service every day.  What is the one thing an employee or business can do to turn a negative customer service experience into a positive one?

We received many insightful comments, including these:

“It’s the willing spirit that makes the difference; showing that they are listening, and that they want to make things right. “