Detering Competitor Shoppers
-
Secret shopping is an excellent way to keep track of employee performance in the interest of customer service. Anyone who has worked in a call center may have received a call where they were being evaluated as part of a mystery shop. Having worked for a call center that is specific to the self storage industry, I have also learned to tell when a caller is competitive shopping (for rates) for another company.
When someone calls about a room we usually try to qualify their size need first. A good sign of having a competitive shopper is when the caller asks if you can give them all of the rates and sizes. In the interest of time, most inbound call centers try to limit rate quotes to just a couple of sizes. After all, we want to encourage the amenities of the property and make sure it is conveniently located.
Here is a good way to deter competitive shoppers from calling back: Tell them if they’re not sure about the size, then you would be happy to schedule them for a site visit. This would be the best way for the “unsure size” caller to see first hand and what excellent features the facility has to offer.
If the caller gets irate, you do not have to let it upset you. Simply let them know you are trying your best to help and there are too many different sizes to quote over the phone. Offer to take their name and number to see if the site manager would be able to fax or E-mail a price list. If they do not wish to give you this information, then they are probably a competitive shopper. In which case, you have done all you can to help them.
Blog submitted by Laurie Cox, Off Site Sales Force.
Thank you for visiting the PhoneSmart call center . We offer an insider diary of the secret shop industry.
Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.
View 
Subscribe via 
