Customer Experience Archives - Page 11 of 11

How I became a Mystery Evaluator

A few years ago I was surfing on the internet when I saw the ad: „Get paid for shopping.”
Hahaha! Could it sound more like a scam? I am not falling for this. Or am I?

It somehow still made me thinking… Well, I heard about this guy who does mystery shopping and he never complained. Checking out the company’s website won’t hurt. I started exploring the page…
I saw logos of prestigious clients, I even discovered some brands I liked. I remembered, last time I went to that shop, the salesperson was really rude and I had the feeling I was ruining her life by asking for a smaller size of that shirt. How funny it would be to go to that very same shop and leave feedback about her. I will register.

What? Why on earth do they have to know how tall I am?
Later a friend told me that her boyfriend had registered for a mystery shopping company. They called him to offer him a mystery visit including a test drive with one of the world’s smallest car. They asked him how tall he was. After he said he was 1.92, the agent kindly apologized for having called him. He would not even fit in the tiny car.

And also my bank account number?
OK, they have to pay me somehow. I guess if it is only the account number, not the credit card number and my PIN, it is pretty safe. After I registered, I was checking my job-board regularly, but there were mostly visits which required owning a car, so I didn’t apply for any of them. As a funny twist in life, I came across another mystery shopping company when I was looking for a job. BARE International hired me as a recruiter. My job is to look for people in several countries, who are interested in doing mystery visits. I thought it would be beneficial to try mystery shopping, so that I can answer the people’s question and I know exactly what I am offering them

Mystery shopping, here I come! But how is it all done?
How could I learn it? I am so confused…oh, there is an online training! Sounds good. I went through the slides and the test, I have to admit it took a lot of time and I wanted to give up at some point. But I remembered, every time we start something new, we have to invest time and energy into learning it.

I visited my job-board and found some mystery calls.
Before the visit I had to read the long guidelines but at least I was confident on what to do while on the phone. When I finally dialed the call center, my knees were shaking like jelly and I thought they knew instantly that I was a mystery shopper. I was shivering and stuttering. It took at least 5 minutes to feel normal again. I will never forget that rush of adrenalin in my body. Fortunately, the customer service representative on a the other end of the line was doing a very decent job and I was happy to leave a feedback about him in the online questionnaire. I hope his boss will read it and he will get promoted! Since then I have done several mystery calls. Sometimes it was a pleasant experience.

Yet, other times I received terrible customer service.
First I felt very bad reporting about it in the questionnaire. I felt like I betrayed the customer service representative. But I developed this theory, that if they do not have the necessary communication skills and inner motivation to behave recpectfully with the customers, they should change jobs and do something they really like.

I can say that including the good and bad aspects, I became a fan of mystery shopping.
I like the adrenaline rush, when I start an assignment. I appreciate working in such a „green industry”. There is no production, no printing, everything goes online. Last but not least I like the moment when I receive the notification that my shop fee was transferred to my account. Some say the payment is low, but usually it’s enough to cover a good dinner in a restaurant. Money best spent.

Author: Szintia

Szintia is an employee of Bare International.
Besides her work in the Social Media and Recruitment team, she loves sports, travelling, and she is learning her 6^th language. She is a Couchsurfer. She has a master’s degree in Strategic HR Management and she is a professional pastry chef.

Interested in becoming an Evaluator with BARE International?

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Want to be a guest blogger for BARE’s Mystery Evaluator’s Community?

Apply to: [email protected]

February 16, 2016

Blog Europe

How can Mystery Shopping change the way you look at life?

I started working in the mystery shopping industry for BARE International in 2015.
BARE International is one of the market-leading companies providing mystery customer research and auditing services at a national and global level. A mystery evaluator is a freelancer who goes to specific shops pretending to be a regular customer whilst keeping an eye on all details, because after the store visit they have to answer questions about the customer service.

As a newcomer at the company I wanted to learn as much as possible.
I was curiously asking my colleagues about their positions and responsibilities. One key account manager told me that she was the main point of contact for the clients: she mapped their needs; she helped them set up the group of questions that mystery customers would have to answer, and reported the results to the clients.

Some clients need help in setting up the questions?
It fully surprised me. I have to admit I have full respect for our clients: they realized the importance of customer satisfaction, they are ready to get feedback and they are even paying for it.
But how can one ask for feedback if one is not even sure what he or she wants to know? It made me think…

There can be a parallel drawn between customer satisfaction and life satisfaction.
I work in an industry where we sell feedback to clients who ask for it. These companies have a healthy level of self-criticism to hear an honest opinion about the customer service they provide. They are ready to hear it. They are keen on improving.

Are we ready to receive a detailed feedback about our lives?
We don’t necessarily have to ask others to provide it in the first place. Mystery evaluation made me realize that the most important thing is to be able to set up our questionnaire and to be aware of what the most crucial things are for us to be satisfied. I think my questions would be: Do I spend enough time with the ones I love? Do I keep travelling? Is there enough music and sport in my life? Am I in a good mood on Monday mornings? Can I be proud of my professional and private life achievements when I look back to past years? The list is much longer of course, and will be changing constantly during the course of my life.

What questions would you ask yourself?
Have you thought about them yet?
Are you ready to give yourself feedback?

Author: Szintia

Szintia is an employee of Bare International.
Besides her work in the Social Media and Recruitment team, she loves sports, travelling, and she is learning her 6^th language. She is a Couchsurfer. She has a master’s degree in Strategic HR Management and she is a professional pastry chef.

Interested in becoming an Evaluator with BARE International?

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Want to be a guest blogger for BARE’s Mystery Evaluator’s Community?

Apply to: [email protected]

February 4, 2016

Uncategorized

We are the customers! Why what we experience will shape the future of the car industry

Car brands are increasingly putting focus on improving their customer service at the car dealerships. In a highly competitive marketplace where sales are getting hard to achieve through traditional methods this is to be expected.

If we take a look back to understand how automotive sales and customer experiences have evolved, the big thing 10 years ago was car brands adjusting to the commercial power of the internet and adopting dynamic websites. The official website of a brand is a trustworthy place to begin our investigation to acquire a new object – in this case, a new car. It is our first encounter, the first touch point, where we get our basic questions answered. We can scroll through the car’s technical characteristics and view enticing and close up photos. The website also often serves as a gateway to contact with the company employees. Consequently, we want it to be easy to navigate with a feeling of going with the flow. We want to feel welcomed and connected and not having to be led down endless roads or up dead-ends.

Once our initial research is done we are ready to hit the road and visit the nearest dealership of the brand we desire. The first chance for a real look at the beauty we’re about to acquire. We are getting closer to our goal. Inside the store the interior decoration, the layout and the way we are treated by staff is crucial. A welcoming atmosphere should fill the place. The customer experience we experienced and which pleased us on the website should continue and must be coherent. The sole fact that we have taken the second step, shows our intent. Now it is up to the employee at the dealership, to either help us climb one more step closer to the goal or to push us backwards off the cliff. It is here where we expect to be greeted and served with a friendly knowledgeable approach to not end up in the situation where pushy sales techniques may push us out as fast as we came in.

The main competitive tool, as Gartner insists, by the end of 2016 will be – yes you guessed it – customer experience. Even when we are convinced that our favorite brand is superior to the rest, in many cases there is an existing competitor out there that can actually provide an equal product and service. What will distinguish our choice is just a matter of personal experience and the strength of that brand image.

Accenture, a multinational consultancy, performed a study and found out that for 81% of respondents, personalized customer experience is among the top 3 priorities of organizations. Micah Solomon analyzed customer experience trends and established 5 interesting trends as to what we as customers expect:

A preference for being served in a way that makes the customer feel that those serving and those being served are equals.
A streamlined and hassle-free/friction-free experience. As easy as on the web.
Authenticity: today’s customers are on a quest for what is genuine, authentic, what feels like “the genuine article.”
Transparency: A preference for businesses to be open and forthright in explanations, pricing, quality standards, vendor relations, and so forth.
Adventure and Experience: A feeling that most commercial interactions are improved if there is an element of adventure, excitement, a true “experience” within the customer experience.

Coming back to our car buying experience, it doesn’t stop at driving the car home. Now we turn to the very much needed service we’ll be experience years and years to come (hopefully), in the so called “after-sales” service. The service we experience will affect our decision to still be a brand ambassador and to continue our relationship with the brand. Or, if we feel rather disappointed to go out and start the process again and look for another car.

According to Shana Rusonis, in the future, customers will care less and less about the ‘thing’ they’re buying, and will increasingly look for the value in the impact of that product or service post-transaction.

As customers it is important we get into action mode if we don’t feel we are treated the way we deserve to be. We are the ones that have the power to improve the service. We are the engine of the future automotive industry.

Author: Vicky Lima

Vicky Lima is a multifaceted professional with a Master Degree in Advertising. She is passionate about customer experience and the Automotive world. Besides her work in social media, she shares her passion and knowledge about cars as a writer. An avid traveler around the world investigating the relationship between customers and brands.

Interested in becoming an Automotive Evaluator with BARE International?

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Want to be a guest blogger for BARE’s Automotive community We Are Cars?

Apply to: [email protected]

October 30, 2015

Uncategorized

How Rare Cars Influence Your Choice

It’s rare that a car will sell itself; though it may be possible for super cars, which are emotionally charged and sold to powerful wealthy customers who don’t need to be persuaded. But wait, even then is it actually true? In this case appearances can be deceptive and we jump to our own conclusions.

The manufacturers of these highly attractive cars use psychological methods for sales which are being communicated to the public and to the individual customer by the marketing department and the sales staff.

One of these principles or methods is the impression of rarity, products typically get more popular if there aren’t many of them. Consequently, the demand raises the price. Then there is the sympathetic salesman, sympathy is another method of sales psychology. It’s easily understood how to apply and implement this method, even though it cannot be universally applied.

It’s extremely rare, buy it now…

The perception of rarity applies to super sports cars and parts of the used-car market but for the volume market other sales strategies are in use. For instance, car manufacturers try to influence people in the social circles of a potential customer and convince them to buy a car so that – in a kind of chain reaction – the potential customer, affected by peer pressure, will also make a purchase.

As a result a potential customer may find themselves coming home with a personally signed purchase contract three days after they went to a car dealer to take a look. Superficially this appears to be a purchase made for inexplicable reasons.

Sympathy: incorporated at the dealer

Even minor changes to an overall product or service can have profound consequences on the degree of customer loyalty to that product or to the quality claims of the product. Scientific studies have shown that product packages with pictures of faces are more popular if their pupils are larger. Pupil dilation is said to be an indicator for sympathy. So what could be changed in car dealerships? Set up billboards or posters showing attractive faces? Why not!

In this way small, insignificant changes on a product or on the product package will have a stronger impact on the customer’s perception than the customer may admit to or even realise. The customer’s subconscious mind draws conclusions on the properties of a product, even though the product appears not to have changed at all.

In a similar case in a different industry, many people were suddenly complaining about the quality of a brandy after the top capsule was changed from lead to plastic. To investigate and verify this theory the company sold half of their product with lead capsules and the other half with plastic. Indeed the result showed that customers perceived a change in the quality of the brandy depending on the product package.

There are many situations which correlate with this so-called Irradiation Phenomenon when buying a car. For example the perception of a cars acceleration depending on the return spring in the gas pedal or the clothes of a salesman defining their position in the company and the sympathy that the customer will get. Understanding these factors and how they can be used to improve customer satisfaction and push towards the elusive perfect sale will be keys for future success.

How do you feel when you are at your local car dealer looking to buy a new car? Are these things that you’d pay attention to in your conversation with the sales person?

Benjamin Brodbeck Publicist Automativ Guest Blogger BARE International Author: Benjamin Brodbeck @automativ

Benjamin Brodbeck, 24 years old, is a multifaceted petrolhead. Besides his work as a jazz pianist, he brings his passion and knowledge about cars as a publicist at AUTOmativ.de. He studied Automotive Business Management and is currently doing his master’s degree in journalism at the University of Vienna.

Interested in becoming an Automotive Evaluator with BARE International?

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Want to be a guest blogger for BARE’s Automotive community We Are Cars?

Apply to: [email protected]

September 10, 2015

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Meet a Multifaceted Petrolhead

Benjamin recently joined BARE as an Automotive Evaluator. He has a true dedication to learn and share everything he knows about the automotive industry, partly inspired by a father who works for an iconic car brand. We couldn’t resist catching up with him for an interview to learn more.

Hi Benjamin, tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Benjamin Brodbeck, I’m 24 years old and I have a degree in the field of automotive industry. Music has a great significance in my life – especially Jazz music. I play the piano and perform with the Jazz trio BBQJazz from Stuttgart. I enjoy leaving my well-structured day behind me and finish it with improvised and self-written songs.

Besides my studies and music, I express my passion for cars by writing as a freelancer and in photography. Right now I am committed to building the online-magazine AUTOmativ.de.

For the past 40 years my father has worked at Porsche. During my childhood he led the department which created exclusive equipment and design options and limited edition cars. I was raised in an environment of well-designed sports cars and – thanks to my father – have always been in touch with different people who were working in very varied positions in the car industry.

How do you see the evolution of the Automotive industry?

At the university, questions like that filled up whole papers. But in short – I think we have a significant trend towards an immense diversity and individualization of cars. This trend will intensify together with the trend of delivering unique customer experiences at car dealerships and at different events to create a strong customer loyalty.

Customers subconsciously connect a car brand with the testimonies, statements and behaviour of the employees. If the advice and the service they get is not satisfying, this will have an impact on the image – even though it may has just been one person.

So the quality of service at dealerships impact the brand?

Every single car dealership has a great impact on the company’s image – they are the front line. First there are certain standards that a car dealership has to comply with; second, there are individual philosophies that should match with the company’s identity.

Car brands that do not ensure their car dealerships comply with their standards (in comparison to competitors) by inspecting them, preferably using a third party, are in danger of losing contact with the foundation of their company – the customers.

After getting my degree I spent a lot of time looking at customer satisfaction and the behaviour of car salespeople at car dealerships – but was never able to do such an evaluation myself. I was very curious about the questions and the focus of the first evaluation that BARE International sent me.

The evaluations went well and were very interesting: You always have your checklist in mind and compare the salesman’s behaviour and the characteristics of the dealership with your checklist and tick them off.

Was the experience as an Evaluator a benefit for you personally?

Besides getting to know very different cars on various test drives, you also have the possibility to identify different strategies of the salespeople and – at least partly – use them yourself later on. On top of all the required formalities, every salesperson has room for manoeuvre in which they have to persuade with affability and courtesy. Every good salesperson is an artist, who relies on their strategy and improves with every new customer that they serve. To observe this behaviour is fun and can help in your own everyday life.

What recommendation would you give to the car industry?

As I said, using the tool of mystery shopping and evaluation, companies can gain knowledge about problems. This can lead to relevant actions to ensure compliance with guidelines, detect weaknesses and reveal further potential improvements.

The results shape the foundation of benchmarking between competitors and thereby constitutes an important part of the requirements for a successful customer relations.

One thing is for sure: far too few customers complain when the service isn’t pleasing. Most of them just stop coming. Therefore it is even more important – and in the company’s own interest – to conduct mystery shopping.

Stay tuned for more to come from Benjamin Brodbeck, guest blogger for We Are Cars.

Interested in becoming an Automotive Evaluator with BARE International?

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Want to be a guest blogger for BARE’s Automotive community We Are Cars?

Apply to: [email protected]

August 27, 2015

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Ведем машину навстречу новому опыту

Вы в курсе, что является главным словом во всех областях экономики и особенно в автопроме? Положительные впечатления покупателя.

Что же такое положительные впечатления покупателя?

Для этого нужно любить своих клиентов.

Мы давно уже воспринимаем, судим и оцениваем автопроизводителей не только по их прекрасным и высокопроизводительным автомобилям, но и по тому, насколько они упрощают и улучшают жизнь своих клиентов.

Наша цель?

Мы занимаемся тем, что помогаем автобрендам внедрить подход, во главе которого стоит потребительский опыт. Мы хотим, чтобы потребности клиентов поределяли всю сервисную деятельность компаний.

Как?

С вашей помощью.

Мы ищем увлеченных людей, которые помогут нам оценить уровень сервиса определенных дилеров ключевых автобрендов. Мы готовы предложить тысячи уникальных вакансий фрилансерам по всей Европе.

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Как только вы напишете нам и оставите заявку, мы свяжемся с вами, чтобы помочь вам наметить ваше посещение дилера. Вместе мы оценим ваши возможности. Быть может, вы захотите совершить только одно посещение, а может – много. Некоторые из наших Оценщиков полностью зарабатывают на жизнь, посещая автосалоны и сервсиные центры для оценки уровня качества оказываемых услуг.

Давайте переведем опыт владения автомобилем на новый уровень.

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Эта страница создана командой специалистов компании Bare, которые ждут ваших заявок, чтобы помочь вам назначить посещение ближайшего к вам автодилера. Если вы решите стать нашим следующим Оценщиком, вы осчастливите огромное количество людей.

Bare International – это международная компания, занимающаяся изучением потребителей, с богатым опытом в области атомобильной промышленности. Ориентированные на клиента услуги в сфере автопрома, оказываемые компанией Bear, доказали свою эффективность и повысили уровень услуг даже для самых взыскательных и требовательных лидеров в индустрии. За кулисами нашей интернациональной команды.

July 28, 2015

Uncategorized

Drive the Car Experience

You know what’s trendy in all sectors of the economy and especially in the automotive industry? Customer experience.

A.K.A. Customer love.

Automotive companies are not anymore judged, perceived and evaluated only by their beautiful and highly performing cars – but how they make life easier and better for their customers.

Our purpose?

We are in the business to help car brands improve their customer experience. We want companies to create their entire service experience around the needs of the customer. You, that is.

How?

With your help.

We’re on the lookout for people who can help us evaluate the level of service at chosen top car brand dealers. We’ve now got thousands of freelance opportunities open all around Europe.

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Once you’ve registered, we’ll be in touch to help you schedule your visit. Together we’ll have a look at your potential. You might do only one visit, or multiple. Some of our Evaluators make it a full living visiting stores to evaluate the service level.

Let’s take the car experience to the next level.

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Behind this page there’s a team of Bare’s best waiting to hear from you and help you schedule a visit to your nearest car dealer. If you decide to apply to be our next Evaluator, you’ll be making a whole bunch of people happy. You’ll get paid and enjoy many Benefits of being an evaluator.

Bare International is a global customer research company with solid experience in the Automotive Industry. Bare’s customized Automotive services have proven track records of delivering performance, improving results for even the most savvy and demanding industry leaders.

June 27, 2015

Uncategorized

Опыт БМВ по-эппловски

Вы когда-нибудь входили в магазин, предвкушая возможную покупку и интересуясь каким-то продуктом, но затем быстро уходили оттуда из-за слишком назойливого и навязчивого продавца?

Это был автодилер? Если да, то вы вовсе не одиноки в этом опыте, ведь стремление достичь заветных цифр плана ежемесячных продаж приводит к неприятным ощущениям для многих клиентов.

Но ведь наверняка все это происходило уж точно не в магазине Эппл, где работающие там “Гении” помогают вам, а не навязывают что-либо.

БМВ – одна из автомобильных компаний, которые решили перенять этот опыт и начать применять его в своей собственной “Программе гениев”. Компания привлечет к работе дилерских центров прекрасно технически подготовленных сотрудников, чтобы они могли предоставить клиентам ту информацию, в которой они нуждаются для принятия правильных решений. Это, в свою очередь, позволит клиентам ощутить, что они на 100% обладают той информацией, которая необходима для выбора этого замечательного нового продукта.

НАЧНИТЕ СВОЮ “МИССИЮ”

Автомобильная инудстрия переживает перемены, принося клиентам максимальное возможное удовлетворение от процесса покупки с самого первого контакта. В компании Bare International мы помогаем сделать все, чтобы эти перемены отвечали потребностям таких требовательных клиентов, как вы. Мы добиваемся того, чтобы автобренды получали всю необходимую информацию для осуществления этих перемен к лучшему.

Ключевыми фигурами в наших исследованиях являются наши Оценщики. В качестве Оценщика вы совершаете визит к дилеру и даете нам обратную связь и оценку того, как автодилеры обращаются со своими клиентами и какие при этом у клиента возникают ощущения. Выступите в роли потенциального клиента, который задумывается над приобретением нового автомобиля. Вы оцениваете уровень услуг и получаете удовольствие от процесса тест-драйва.