MARCH/APRIL 2018 19 FE ATURE How to Improve Your Customer Service with DLI’s Mystery Shopper Program By John Paul Roggenkamp IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED HOW YOUR STAFF TREATS CUSTOMERS WHEN THE BOSS ISN’T AROUND, EVALUATE THEM WITH THE MYSTERY SHOPPER PROGRAM. The Drycleaning and Laundry Institute (DLI) is proud to bring you this valuable service in concert with MarketWise Consulting, an organization founded in 1994. An honest and clandestine look at how things work when the boss isn’t personally onsite or within earshot, “The Mystery Shopping program evaluates and scores front line and cleaning services offered by member companies,” said Carolyn Nankervis, president of Marketwise Consulting Group, Inc. (Some business owners and managers announce to their staff that Mystery Shopping program is in effect, whereas others keep it a secret, to be revealed at the next employee meeting.) After signing up and indicating the opening hours of your business, a Mystery Shopper will visit your store, gather information, then share the results of the survey with you - and you alone! At its core, the Mystery Shopper program involves a person who works for independent and impartial MarketWise pretending to shop at the store or stores of your choice - at an unknown and unpredictable time of day. (Unpredictability is a key element of the Mystery Shopper program; the possibility of surprise inspections is sure to keep your staff-members on their best behavior from the start of a shift until it ends.) The MarketWise worker will approach the counter like any other customer and drop off one or more items to be drycleaned. During his or her interaction with your staff, he or she will keep track of a variety of different metrics, probably including but not limited to these: if or if not the employee was wearing a name badge; how well-groomed, well-spoken, and polite the employee was; whether or not there was an attempt to upsell or cross-sell a service as well as an offer to join a newsletter or email list; and the employee’s mastery over or incorrect use of in-house drycleaning terminology, pricing, and estimated turnaround times. “By offering in-store visits we’re able to give you a better service,” said DLI CEO Mary Scalco in reference to the Mystery Shopper program. In-store visits provide a wealth of continued on page 20