» Quality Assurance Services
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The Storage Concierge MembershipBy admin on November 7, 2006 | No Comments
In first quarter 2006 we worked thousands of internet leads and found that a proficient follow-up system was needed to organize and benefit from the vast amount of potential leads we uncovered. Otherwise so many leads would be created that you could bury yourself in them. The Storage Concierge Club is a way to create more rentals for you from sources other than incoming phone calls.
Over the last several months has been working for you to develop that system; one that could reliably and effectively work internet leads for both quantity and quality. We have good working relationships with internet lead producers and have our own proprietary lead generators. Now we’re ready to open the flood gates.
What do you get?
In order to make club membership very reasonable and very profitable, and to make these leads available to you, we need wide participation and support from all of our clients. Because the cost is spread out among club members so everyone can benefit, the Storage Concierge Club allows you to participate in first class internet lead capture strategies at very low cost.Our money back guarantee ensures that you are completely satisfied with your Storage Concierge membership, or we will refund your monthly Club fees (you pay only for Hot Leads and/or Credit Card Reservations acquired during your trial membership).
People who are searching the internet to are not using traditional means of gathering information, such as the yellow pages to fill this need. These would normally be missed opportunities. Our research has shown that internet leads are more productive if we use the power of our collective client base. The more locations we have to find leads for, the more leads we can get for all our clients. Using our entire client list to collect and work leads allows us to cast a wide net for leads, which allows us to capture more leads to distribute. The power of our group allows us to pull in leads you otherwise certainly would have missed.
How does it work?
PhoneSmart acquires leads from various lead sources and creates leads through its own proprietary search engines and on-line locators. Our research staff pre-qualifies each lead and passes the workable leads on to our sales team for follow-up. After pre-qualification and sales effort the leads are directed to the closest Storage Concierge Club member store.We only submit a lead to you under two conditions:
1. We emailed the potential customer an offer from Storage Concierge and then talked in-person to the prospect to help locate a store the prospect is willing to commit to. In this case you would receive a Hot Lead or a Credit Card reservation for these prospects.
2. We were unable to speak personally to the prospect before the started time of need for a storage unit, but did email an offer and verified that the name and phone number are correct. In this case you would receive a Hot Lead only.*You never pay us for leads or reservations with incorrect or unusable contact information.
*You never pay us for leads that are rejected by our research staff for being incomplete, out of area, or otherwise bogus.
We will only submit a lead or reservation to one store, so there is no “competing” for leads and no doubling or tripling of lead submissions. If we have multiple Storage Concierge Club Member stores close to a prospect, we will offer all the stores in the area requested and let the prospect chose which one location is best for his or her need based on location, features, availability, etc. Then we will submit the lead or reservation to that one store only.
Leads and Reservations will show “Web” in the name field after the person’s last name, so you know this prospect came from the Storage Concierge Club. This allows you to track the results and sources of Storage Concierge Club leads and reservations.
Our experience has shown that the conversion rates from the internet on Hot Leads is almost just as good as conversion rates from phone calls. The conversion rate on Credit Card Reservations from these internet leads is every bit as good as incoming phone calls.
*We see 18-22% of workable internet leads renting. And we only send you workable leads.
If you are buying leads from a lead source for us to work or if you’re sending us propriety leads from your company’s website, your store would be the only store offered to these prospects.
We encourage you to work with two lead generating companies to supply us leads for your stores. Please contact:
1. Kristi Gubbels at www.usstoragesearch.com tel. 402.616.9135
2. Randy Goldberg at www.moving.bz tel. 866.463.8532Contract with these companies to send us leads for your stores. These two services are diverse but each very effective in channeling leads.
You pay nothing extra for the leads PhoneSmart creates through its proprietary lead generators.
PhoneSmart makes it a priority to be on the forefront of innovative strategies and tactics that bring business to our clients. We have proven ourselves a profitable partner, so you know that you can trust us on this program as well. We know we can create the leads, however if you wish to opt out now please contact me by email at tron@phone-smart.net
This is a tremendous opportunity for you to make the internet work for you without the hassle and the high cost. Please add the Storage Concierge Membership Club Membership fees to your monthly payment to PhoneSmart and tell your staff to be on the look–out for Storage Concierge web leads.
Thank you for your support and participation. We are eager to help you rent more units.
Sincerely,
Tron Jordheim
PhoneSmart Director -
Building Teamwork in Your Self Storage Facility
Teamwork is key to the success of any business. Self Storage is no exception and should strive to build a fun, energetic atmosphere. Some exciting ideas to help encourage teamwork within your business are:
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Set a goal for your employees to reach and have a party when they’ve reached it. Use occupancy rates, reservations, secret shopping scores, etc. for some ideas to set goals.
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Have a short contest. Randomly pick teams and choose what the contest will be. Entice the teams with a prize they can all share together.
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Give your employees gift cards, candy, and prizes out of the blue and not necessarily for any reason. This will boost them up and make them want to keep doing a great job.
Be creative and let the employees get involved when setting up the details of your goals.
It’s also important to the teamwork atmosphere to have a fair and safe working environment. Don’t delay in addressing conflict; the longer it’s ignored the more it can grow. Productivity reflects in employee performance if conflict is allowed to go unchecked. Your employees will appreciate a calm workplace and your business will appreciate a smoother operation.Written by: Sarah Little, Total Quality Assurance Executive.
Thanks for reading ’s call center , the inside scoop of self storage and secret shopping.
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Got Their Back!
When it comes to building an efficient mystery shopping program, finding the right mystery shopping provider is only half the battle. Often overlooked is the role the company using the shops play in the secret shopping process.
completes secret shops each month for over 30 clients. We do our best to provide quality phone shops and accurate evaluations of each call. However, after we mail or email them out the ball is in the client’s court.
It’s important to recognize that as a user of secret shops, you have to create a program that encourages your employees while also building some accountability with the program and the company. An effective secret shopping program may award employees for desired outcomes, but shouldn’t isolate employees whose performance may be less than desirable.
So what do you do when an employee isn’t meeting expectations? Sit with them and write out a plan. Start with the basic or most important areas that need improving. Discuss with them what can be done to see improvement. (Many times an employee may recognize a problem but not know how to fix it.) The key is to monitor their progress and award them when improvement is made.
Make it a point to spend a little time each month talking with your employees and finding out their strengths and weaknesses. Make the time you spend with them positive; let them know you’re behind them and care about their successes.
Written by: Sarah Little, Total Quality Assurance Executive and writer.
Thanks for reading PhoneSmart’s secret shopping blog, the inside scoop into the worlds of , secret shopping and mystery shopping.
Your local unit provider in 9220 W. 135th St. Overland Park, KS. 66221
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It’s Just Hide And Seek
Working at PhoneSmart’s call center I learned how to do secret shopping. Secret shopping is a process in which we call other storage facilities and basically just ask for a storage unit, and let the representative try and sell their facility to us. Afterwards our secret shop managers review the phone call and give the store a rating based on the phone call.
To begin secret shopping you first log into your call center page by putting in your name and password. Then you put in the DNIS number of the office you are calling. Then you click the mouse to enable recording and secret shop mode. After that you dial the number to the store and begin your call. After a representative answers the phone I say something like “I need a storage unit…” or “how much does it cost to store here…” and then let them lead the conversation. I like secret shopping because it’s like a hide and seek game where I always win; it’s fast, fun, and a good way to earn some extra money.
Secret shopping is also beneficial because I learn new that I can apply to myself when presenting my facility to my self storage customers. Secret shopping is something everyone should try!Written by Nicole White, PhoneSmart call center newbie and business blog writer.
Thank you for visiting the secret shopping , an inside peek at the mystery shopping industry and secret shopping tends.
Your local unit provider in 2816 Eaton Kansas City, KS. 66103
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We Do Lots Of Calls
Each month we track certain employee stats and one of them is the total number of self storage inbound calls that each sales representative takes. We do this for a couple of reasons; recognition and employee incentives.
For the month of September we took an astounding 20,643 calls. With 23 employees taking calls, we averaged approximately 896 calls per person. And when speaking to perspective and current clients, that’s what we typically, say… each rep averages about 1,000 calls a month.
However for the month of September, with some employees helping out to take calls here and there, it isn’t necessarily accurate. In this secret shopping blog I would just like to acknowledge the employees that each took over 1,000 calls in September. Here’s why you recognize quite a few names from leads and reservations:
Rep: Total Sept. Self Storage inbound calls taken:
Lucia 1,914
Laura 1,610
Dana 1,475
Angela 1,458
Wendy 1,392
Kurt 1,295
Nuria 1,237
Jeanette 1,108
Ron 1,090
Our reps do a great job and I won’t exclude the rest of our Call Center employees who helped out with taking calls in September. They’ve taken anywhere from just 2 calls for the month of September to a whopping 976 calls.They include: Julio, Ann, Carmen, Stephanie, Glennetta, Sarah H., Tressa, Kay, Sam, “Liz Taylor”, Eva, Laurie, and DJ.
That’s a great reason to hire to take your calls. We’ve got the experience!
We sell !Written by Robin Turner PhoneSmart call center manager and writer.
Thank you for visiting the PhoneSmart TQAS blog, an inside peek into the mystery shopping industry, quality control for your business, and secret shopping trends.
Your local unit provider in 115 Park Ave. Basalt, CO.81621 -
Dress For Success
Do you work in a call center? Do you sit in a little cubbyhole where you think no one can see you? Are you having a bad day? Are your sales low? Were you told to dress comfortably, that you could basically wear whatever you wanted to as long you are covered and dressed decently? Using that rule, I have seen people come in wearing just about anything from sweats to shorts even in pajamas.
Well, try dressing up for a day and see if your day is better and if your sales go up? I know it sounds crazy, especially when you sit in a cubicle and you know that no one sees you, except maybe co-workers. But when you dress up you feel good and if you feel good then you are smiling on the phone. You feel professional. So you are more likely to be professional on the phone. And that means you will have a sales increase, and look good for a day.
So go to your closet and dig out those dress clothes, you don’t have to dress like you are going to a formal dinner or prom. Just wear something a little more professional, maybe dress slacks and a nice shirt or a dress with your favorite shoes. And for the guys try it too, you don’t have to wear a tux or suit but try dress slacks and a nice shirt, even a tie if you like.
My husband is a great salesman (he is the one who told me this) and no matter where he is working he dresses for success. I, on the other hand, am a blue jean baby. You can’t get me out of my jeans! But when my sales are low, or I am just in “blah” mood I will dress up a little. Usually that means nicer jeans, nice shirt, and my favorite boots. But it usually works. Go figure that the husband should be right. (If you see him do not tell him) I hate it when he is always right.
Written by Dana Shields, call center head supervisor.
Thank you for visiting the PhoneSmart call center , an insider diary of the and secret shopping industry.
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Let’s Play
Just in case you haven’t heard about our Role Play Helpline, let me tell you a little about it. Last year or so, PhoneSmart rolled out a new training service called the Role Play Helpline. Your managers call our Helpline and we can role play with them. The manager can be the customer or the sales representative and we can go over the sales script, talk about concerns or objections you might need to help a caller overcome. We give positive feedback and helpful hints and sometimes it helps to hear someone else reword a statement to make it flow better. Delivery is everything and even though you have your script memorized, you have to practice and make it sound real, and watch your . The Role Play Helpline is available whenever our call center is open, so it’s convenient for you managers to call when they have the time. We would love to send you some information about our Role Play Helpline. Call 1-866-639-1715 or check us out on the web at .
Written by Natalie Thomas, TQA’s executive and writer.
Thanks for reading PhoneSmart’s self storage blog, an inside peek at trends in the self storage industry.Your local unit provider in 449 S. Federal Hwy. Pompano Beach, FL. 33062
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MSPA Webinar
I recently attended a webinar hosted by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). The topics focused on how to effectively provide mystery shopping and also how to effectively use mystery shopping. The presentation began by busting a few myths about mystery shopping. A common myth PhoneSmart battles is that the shops or calls should be 100% “ideally perfect”. Often the client, or user, may feel that it’s unfair to use any hesitation or concern when our shoppers call the store. However, this is an unrealistic expectation because customers in real life do have concerns or may hesitate to hand over their credit card. This is not to say that phone shops shouldn’t contain some types of rules and guidelines; they definitely must meet a quality standard. The best way to avoid misunderstandings between the provider and user is to clearly communicate what each role expects are obtainable goals and write them down.
We have also seen the cost of what the lists as perhaps the most deadly mystery shopping myth: mystery shopping is the magic pill that will fix all your troubles. While secret shopping can certainly increase your ROI, the program must be implemented by a supervisor or training manager within the business. A mystery shopping program can not run itself. The key to building a strong mystery shopping program is to create buy-in with the staff. There will always be those who can become upset or take secret shopping personal, and that’s where the program manager should step in to reinforce a positive experience.
would like to build a strong relationship with each of our mystery shopping clients. We understand that each of you have different needs and expectations. The beauty of our program is that it’s completely customizable to fit your standards. If you have unmet expectations or if you just want to freshen up your program a bit don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’ll be contacting each of you soon to discuss how your program can be tailored to meet your needs.
Written by: Sarah Little, Total Quality Assurance Executive
Thanks for reading PhoneSmart’s secret shopping . We give you the inside scoop on everything and mystery shopping.
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Internal Quality Control
I received an evaluation today for a call I took in September. I also had the opportunity to listen to the call on a CD that was created for us to hear the actual call. I do not remember the call or the caller. I did a pretty good job on most of the call and not so good on other aspects. Sometimes when taking call after call, day after day, you might start to gloss over some key points with each and every caller. These evaluations and “in-house shops” give us a reality check and always help me to sharpen up and tighten up my presentation.
I like to keep the detailed evaluation form on that call where I can see it. This helps me get centered and focused on the task.
Our Secret Shopping department can do the same for you. You could have detailed evaluations of live calls and the CD’s of the calls to use as training tools in your business.
Give our mystery shoppers a chance to talk with your employees in realistic scenarios and create a detailed evaluation of the call based upon the standard held up for us. It could lead to a sales increase and greater profits for your .
Written by Kay Johnson, PhoneSmart call center editor.
Thank you for visiting the call center Total Quality Assurance business blog. We offer an insider diary of the secret shopping industry.
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Quality AssuranceBy admin on October 17, 2006 | No Comments
Sometimes when I think I am going stale in the call center I pull out my copy of the basic script. Our basic script is presented to us in training and is a wonderful guide to the process of helping a caller reserve a storage unit. It takes us right through the process of finding what will work for the caller and offering information about the store’s amenities. We use it to develop our sales technique getting them excited about .
Now and then a caller will tell you that this is the first they have called. Generally however, unless the name of the company is AAAA Storage, they have been going down the long list in the yellow pages and getting the same information, sometimes in a bored or antagonistic voice. They have spoken with people who did not have the information they needed or were unwilling to share it. Sometimes there has been training at the facility but the company is struggling to find a way to check the effectiveness of their sales and management staff.
We can do that for you. Our Secret Shopping and Mystery Shopping department can record and evaluate live calls to your facility. These calls made by our trained staff to your store personnel are evaluated by the same standard used to evaluate the performance of our call center reps. Our shoppers are kind and professional and our evaluations are presented in a non-judgmental and productive manner. Utilizing this service could bring about a sales increase.
Written by Kay Johnson, call center blog editor
Thank you for visiting the PhoneSmart secret shopping , an insider view of the secret shopping and industries.
