Training Chinese Mystery Shoppers Some Experiences to Share

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Training Chinese Mystery Shoppers Some
Experiences to Share
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• Ted Chan
• Nov 10, 2006

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Contents
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• Usual Training Practice in China
• An Alternative Training Approach
• Evaluation and Discussion

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Usual Training Practice in China
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Which Style? Listen and Follow?
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Which Style? Discuss and Participate?
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Usual Interviewer Training Practice in China
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• After seeing the interviewer briefing sessions in
  China, clients usually make the following
  comments
• It is just like the traditional chalk and
  talk method used in Chinese schools.
• The interviewers play a passive part in the
  questionnaire and procedure discussions.
• Surveys become routine, and possibly boring to
  interviewers.

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Usual Fieldwork Problems in China
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• Cheating by fieldworkers
• Turn disqualified to be qualified, e.g.
• The fieldworker who does intercept and screening
  teaches a target respondent to tell lie on the
  age in order to be qualified.
• Interviewers ask half of the questions but fill
  in the remaining by themselves.

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The Chalk and Talk Training Method
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• May work for interviewers because they
• Just need to read out the questions
• Present the show cards
• Record the answers
• There are no interpretation and judgment.

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Some Typical Mystery Shopping Studies (1)
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• To study the show room of a high-end domestic
  audio visual system in terms of
• Services
• Sanitary condition and equipments maintenance
• Products introduction and sales manner
• Utilization of assistant tools for sale

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Some Typical Mystery Shopping Studies (2)
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• To study the drug store brand / product display
  and store attendants performance in terms of
• Brand / product display
• Store attendants brand / product knowledge
• Brand / product recommendation
• Services

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There are Much More Problems with MS
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• Ethical problems
• Mystery shopping is mystery. It is beyond our
  control.
• Technical problems
• It is not only going to measure facing,
  cleanliness, delivery time, .
• There are something more intangible, such as
  services attitude, manner, etc.

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Some Typical Mystery Shopper Questions (1)
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Quality of Service 16 Was the member of staff
focused attentively on you throughout the process
of selecting your choice of product? 16a If no to
Q16, please explain 17 Was there any evidence of
staff interaction in a manner which positively
or negatively contributed to the ambience/your
experience of the outlet? 17a If no to Q17,
please explain 18 If you were in a café and
experienced the "at table" service, did the staff
make occasional eye contact with you in order to
ascertain if you required any additional
service? 18a If no to Q18, please explain 19 Did
a member of staff check back with you to ensure
that everything was to your satisfaction? 20 Was
the service that you received attentive but not
intrusive? 20a If no to Q20, please explain
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Some Typical Mystery Shopper Questions (2)
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21 Were you served in an efficient but unhurried
manner? 21a If no to Q21, please explain
further 22 If you experienced the "at table"
service, were you served by the same person
throughout your ABC experience today? 22a If not,
did this detract from your experience? 23 Did
staff conduct themselves in a professional
courteous manner at all times? 23a If no to Q23,
please explain 24 If required, did staff provide
any assistance with bags, doors, children
etc? Brief Please observe to see if other
customers are helped. 24a If yes to Q24, please
explain 25 Were you given a warm personal
farewell by a member of staff upon leaving the
Café/Kiosk? 25a If no to Q25, please
explain Comments

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An Alternative Training Approach
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Definition of Mystery Shopping
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The use of individuals trained/briefed to
experience and measure any customer service
process, by acting as potential customers /
actual customers and in some way reporting back
on their experiences in a detailed and objective
way. MSPA Europe Guidelines on Mystery
Shopping, Sept 2003
We are objectively satisfied with the foods and
services.
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The New Approach is
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• On the emotion side
• More supportive
• Empowering
• On the technical and procedural side
• Increase mystery shoppers discussion, sharing
  and problem-solving
• Better equipments

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The Trainer is no longer
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• A lecturer
• A controller
• An authoritative manager
• A Commander

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The Trainer is now
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• A facilitator
• An enabler
• An observer
• A coach
• A listener
• An information provider
• Co-worker
• And still in some ways, an instructor

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A Typical 2-hour Training Session Structure
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• 0000-0015
• Sharing of being a mystery shopper
• 0016-0030
• Empowerment
• Sharing of the mystery shopper study
  objectives
• 0031-0130
• Discussion of the study requirements
• Information providing
• Project information
• Subject of investigation information
• Discussion of the technical and procedural
  issues
• 0131-0200
• Conclusion
• Preparation to try out

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Sharing of Being a Mystery Shopper
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• We talk about happy, sad and interesting moments
• Ride more than one hour on a bus to remote areas
  to act as a mystery shopper
• Suspected by the store manager
• Find out something that is unexpected

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Empowerment and Sharing of Objectives
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• Reinforce the critical role of a mystery shopper
• Million investment decision
• Affecting the people you are studying
• Improvements may benefit people like you

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Discussion of Study Requirements
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• Show picture and videos

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To Comprehend the Pre-defined Standards
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• One-way briefing wont work well
• Mystery shoppers may not fully understand
• Different mystery shoppers may have different
  interpretations
• Discussion and sharing usually work better
• Can work out some more tangible / observable
  empirical behavioral traits
• Shopper are more willing to ask questions
• Chinese usually do not ask much openly
• Produce a more consistent and greater consensus
  on the measurement standards

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Study of the Materials and Discuss
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• Materials usually include
• Checklist of items
• Forms, tables, questionnaires to fill in
• The procedures to follow
• Equipments provided

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Conclusion and Prepare to Try Out
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• Usual results
• Higher morale
• More knowledgeable
• Better equipped
• Better prepared and planned

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Evaluation and Discussion
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There are Positive Results
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• Higher quality of work
• More motivated and involved
• Richer knowledge of the study and subject of
  investigation
• Better communications between mystery shoppers
  and supervisors
• Most of the mystery shoppers can suggest good
  solutions to resolve problems.

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There are Problems
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• It is not cost-effective
• It is time consuming.
• Needs sharing and sharing
• Fieldwork managers are not prepared to be a
  trainer like that
• Hard to change the traditional practice
• Often impose their thoughts and control
• Some mystery shoppers feel strange about the
  approach

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Our Current Practice
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• Traditional training and briefing method for
  simple jobs
• New approach for more sophisticated jobs
• The new approach is not able to totally
  substitute the technical and procedural briefing

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But If You Need Some People More than A Recorder
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• Some shoppers who are more observant, add values,
  and

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Thank You !