CUSTOMER LOYALTY / CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | December 2009 Article Links
January 29, 2010
Here’s a recap of the articles posted in the month of December 2009 focusing on Customer Loyalty:
- CSM CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Are You A “Good Neighbor”?
- CSM – CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | The Brush Off
- CSM CUSTOMER SERIVCE MANAGEMENT | Are You Afraid?
- CSM – CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Are You Using Common Sense?
- CRM CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | When Times Are Tough
- CSM CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | How Do Your Customers Communicate?
- CLM CUSTOMER LOYALTY MANAGEMENT | Do You Serve Everyone?
- CSM CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Lack of Consistency Will Kill Loyalty
- CSM CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Name That Customer!
- CSM CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Are You Your Own Economic Stimulus?
- CSM CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Want to Make Rain?
- CSM CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Tell the Customer What You’re Doing!
- CSM CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Are You “Fido” Friendly?
Of course, you can always go to any of our web sites for additional tips and information:
- The Service Quality Department
- ServiceQuality.US
- ServiceQulality.CA
- ServiceQuality.CN
- ServiceQualty.co.UK
- High Definition Mystery Shopping (MS-HD)
- Satisfaction Certified
SECRET SHOPPING / MYSTERY SHOPPING | December 2009 Articles
January 29, 2010
Here’s a quick summary of the articles for December 2009 focusing on secret shopping or mystery shopping:
- MYSTERY SHOPPING | New Year’s Resolution #4 – Take A Good Look Around
- MYSTERY SHOPPING | New Year’s Resolution #3 – Share the Wealth!
- MYSTERY SHOPPING | New Year’s Resolution #2 – Check the Frequency!
- MYSTERY SHOPPING | New Year’s Resolution #1 Is My Secret Shop Relevent?
- MYSTERY SHOPPING | It IS Who You Know
- MYSTERY SHOPPING | WATCH THE PENNIES TURN INTO DIMES!
- SECRET SHOPPING | Is It a Happy Holiday?
- SERVICE QUALITY | Measure Only What Matters
- SECRET SHOPPING | What Time of Day Is Best?
- MYSTERY SHOPPING | Paint the Picture
- SECRET SHOPPING | Measure What’s NOT in Your Control
- SECRET SHOPPING | Subjective vs. Objective
- SECRET SHOPPING | Got Vendors? Who’s Watching Them?
- SECRET SHOPPING | Cheaper May Not Be Better
- SECRET SHOPPING | Timing IS Everything
- SECRET SHOPPING | Government Sectors Really Benefit!
- SECRET SHOPPING | Shopping Has Its Rewards!
- MYSTERY SHOPPING | Say What?
- SECRET SHOPPING | Cutting the Numbers
- SECRET SHOPPING | Tell ‘Em About It!
- SECRET SHOPPING | Are You In Sync?
- SECRET SHOPPING | Should I Schedule Mystery Shops When I’m Slow?
- MYSTERY SHOPPING | Should I Shop If I’m Busy?
Of course, you can always go to any of our web sites for additional tips and information:
- The Service Quality Department
- ServiceQuality.US
- ServiceQulality.CA
- ServiceQuality.CN
- ServiceQualty.co.UK
- High Definition Mystery Shopping (MS-HD)
- Satisfaction Certified
CRM CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | FREE Webinar: 2/18/2010 (9AM PST) Customer Loyalty Clinic
January 24, 2010
Don’t miss this great opportunity to join this clinic on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 9AM (Pacific Time)
If you need answers, and you need them fast, this is a great, free, forum for you. At each clinic you’ll be be in a one-on-one consultation with the best “Dr.” in the field of service, Dr. Jeff Kasper.
He will present two cases of general interest to the group, including solutions you can put to work immediately. Then, for the remainder of the “consult” he’ll take questions from the audience, as time allows.
You won’t want to miss a minute of this valuable presentation, plus a chance to have your specific questions answered for absolutely no cost to you!
Please note, this program is presented “live” from wherever in the world Dr. Kasper may be. This program is currently available only in English.
While there is no cost or obligation to sign up for this clinic, you must pre-register at www.Service-Quality.com or www.ServiceQuality.US
CRM CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | Free Webinar! (2/18/10 10AM PST) 7 Ways to Keep Your Customers
January 23, 2010
Don’t miss this free webinar training session Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 10AM (PST)
During this web training session, Dr. Kasper will identify seven actions you can put into place that will immediately boost your customer retention. No need to form a committee or hold a board meeting to allocate money – these are real live tips you can put to use immediately and cost virtually nothing to deploy! He will also be taking a limited number of questions after the conclusion of the presentation.
While there is no cost to attend this web training session, you are required to register in advance as space is very limited. Just go to www.Service-Quality.com or www.ServiceQuality.US and click on the registration graphic.
If we may be of any service, prior to or after the web training session, we’re just a short call away at 800-432-2456, Option 3. We’re also available via email at support@servicequality.us
SERVICEQUALITY.US EXPANDS WORLD-WIDE PRESENCE, OPENS IN CANADA
January 22, 2010
In a press release issued today, ServiceQuality.US formally announced the opening of their Canadian presence, ServiceQuality.CA
We’ve been doing business in Canada for the past 20 years as The Service Quality Department. “We have tens of thousands of exceptional shoppers across the great country of Canada, and now they have a local domain to call their own.” said ServiceQuality.CA president and chief innovation officer, Dr. Jeffrey Kasper.
Dr. Kasper continued, “This is really a re-branding to bring the Canada in line with our global strategy of local knowledge, and on the ground experience for our clients. ServiceQuality.CA joins, ServiceQuality.US, and our presence in Great Britain — ServiceQuality.co.UK, and our presence in The People’s Republic of China — ServiceQuality.CN together as a unified group that our clients have come to know and trust.”
ServiceQuality.US is celebrating their 20th anniversary in business throughout 2010. Known for their high level of responsiveness and unwavering business ethics, and well as their ability to deliver the best return for each dollar of their client’s investment. Focusing on building customer loyalty, their secret shopping (mystery shopping or service evaluations), service measurement (paper, web, in-person, and telephone surveys) , perfectly interface with their employee & management training and recognition programs.
MYSTERY SHOPPING / SECRET SHOPPING | Can’t Afford It?
January 21, 2010
Cost is an obvious consideration for any new or existing secret shopping initiative. The cost to you will depend on the complexity of each mystery shop.
You’re basically paying for someone’s time and expertise. For a quick secret shop that takes 15 minutes onsite (and probably another 20 minutes preparing the report) you should plan on spending approximately $75 – $125 per shop.
The more complex, the higher the cost. Of course, your actual cost will also have factors such as the length of time you’re willing to commit to (e.g. 1 month vs. 12 months) and the actual time the evaluation takes the shopper to do.
MYSTERY SHOPPING / SECRET SHOPPING | Don’t Get Chained Down
January 14, 2010
I received a call the other day from a prospective new client. She went through a pretty standard list of questions for me, and educated me on her organization’s specific needs.
She mentioned that they were trying out a mystery shopping program, and didn’t know how long they could commit for. She also mentioned that the final questionnaire wasn’t yet complete and they would like some help putting together the final version of the secret shop. Then, she said with some hesitation, so we would like to commit to the shortest term contract you offer, and we’ll need your billing rate too.
I explained to her that we make the term of our agreement whatever meets their needs. From zero to 36 months. It’s your choice. Of course, there are significant pricing considerations for clients who want to commit for a 36 month term versus a “as you go” option.
As for the fee to review the shopping observations, form, that’s included as part of our service to our clients. If we are to create the shop from scratch, there would be a fee, of course. For a few moments that will actually benefit both of us, there’s no charge!
These are just two of the differences between ServiceQuality.US and The Service Quality Department and our competitors. Are you getting everything you deserve?
MYSTERY SHOPPING / SECRET SHOPPING | Different People See Different Things
January 13, 2010
When you are looking over the mystery shopper’s reports for your organization, take a moment to look at who’s doing the shops. Are they the same shoppers? Every report?
The plus side of having consistent shoppers is that they know the observation by heart, and don’t miss any of the questions. The negative side is that they lose their objectivity. They don’t see things the same way they did the first time.
We generally recommend rotating secret shoppers so that the same person doesn’t repeat the same assignment more than once every six months or so.
Both The Service Quality Department and ServiceQuality.US are fortunate to have over 500,000 mystery shoppers worldwide, so this isn’t a problem for us. The same can’t be said for our competitors.
SECRET SHOPPING / MYSTERY SHOPPING | New Years Resolution #11 – KISS
January 11, 2010
Well, 2010 is finally here! The age of technology is here and I bet you think I’m going to suggest a new form of software, or system, to track customers and aide building customer loyalty. Wrong! The first thing I recommend is the old adage “KISS” or “Keep it Simple, Silly”
Go back to the basics. Are your employees doing them? Every time? I had the occasion to visit our data center in Northern California. First of all, these are the core geeks of ServiceQuality.US They are the best of the best, as far as I’m concerned. Never, in a million years would they deal directly with customers or mystery shoppers. These professionals are hired to be focused.
So, standing out in front of the building and I saw someone approach. It didn’t appear that they knew where they were going. I stood in the background and listened. These “geeks” were friendlier than most of the service employees I encounter at the mall. The couple had the address mixed up and the employee took a moment and printed them a map to their destination.
Why was I impressed? The wayward couple would never know that they were at the ServiceQuality.US data center. (It’s not marked for security reasons.) They would never know our mission or what we do for our clients. They were simply assisted by a friendly face. A face I might add didn’t know the boss was looking.
How would your employees act if they encountered a lost stranger? Would they act differently if they didn’t know you were looking?
INDUSTRY NEWS | The Service Quality Department / ServiceQuality.US Kick-Off 20 Year Anniversary
January 9, 2010
In a ribbon cutting ceremony today, CEO and Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Jeffrey Kasper kicked off a year-long celebration of The Service Quality Department and ServiceQuality.US’ 20th Anniversary.
“Back in 1990, we had zero clients, zero shoppers, and a dream. Here we are, 20 years later. Today, we have almost three-quarters of a million shoppers, hundreds of clients, and we still have a vision for the next decades ahead.” said Dr. Kasper in an address at the Northern California world headquarters today. All employees of the organization were invited to the celebration.
“We had a simple idea — bring high-level customer loyalty management to all sizes of companies and organizations. No company is too small. A large, multi-national company has an entire department focused on customer loyalty. Small businesses are the backbone of this nation, and I believe the world economy. We provide training, customer service delivery measurement (surveys), and customer service deployment measurement (secret shopping) and level the playing field for all of our clients.” he continued.
Celebrations are planned throughout 2010. On the drawing board are dinners and receptions across the globe. Additionally, as a token of our appreciation for their business, we are holding pricing to the same levels as last year for our existing clients. As an incentive for new clients, we are rolling back our set-up and programming fees to 1990 levels — $0!
For more information visit The Service Quality Department or ServiceQuality.US and take advantage of these special offers, that only come along every 20 years or so.
