Shopping The Shopper

Is the caller genuine or a shopper?
In a call center (even though I think that word creates such a negative connotation to what we actually do) there are opportunities for each of us to be evaluated or even just “shopped” by the competition.  I am so engrossed in the call normally that sometimes the telltale signs of a shopper simply elude me.  I don’t think I have been able to correctly identify any of the evaluators, but “shoppers” are a different story all together. 
Generally speaking, “shoppers” tell a story about why they need self storage.  In order to find out the information they want, this story is subject to change.  They may suddenly remember that some stuff is not going into storage so they need the price of a smaller unit.  Or maybe they suddenly remember additional items they wish to store to find out the prices of larger units. They often give themselves away by using industry specific terms.  The most obvious “What are the access hours?” or “Is there an admin fee”?
The majority of them do not give their information because they are calling for a friend.  Sometimes they don’t even remember their friend’s name.  If I can’t remember the name of a friend, I don’t necessarily feel a strong enough bond with them to do them a favor of calling self storage facilities.  It’s not a very exciting process to just do for someone.  Even if they were my friends whose name I did know, I know for sure I wouldn’t do the favor.  So if you get a caller whose story details don’t quite add up, be on your toes.  You could be getting shopped.  By the way, our secret shoppers are so well trained I will just bet they are HARD to spot.

Written by Julio Montes evening supervisor and business blog writer.

Thank you for visiting the PhoneSmart call center blog an insider view of the secret shop and self storage industry.

We are PhoneSmart your off site sales force call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Your local self storage unit provider in 9580 Potranco Rd. San Antonio, TX. 78245

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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