What Is Secret Shopping?

Warning: gzinflate() [function.gzinflate]: data error in /home/totalq/public_html/wp-includes/http.php on line 1787

Our company offers a service called secret shopping. Secret shopping is when you call a company and pretend to need their service. One of our secret shopping programs is focused on storage facilities.

We call a storage facility and pretend we need storage. We ask for a price and what we hope for is that the store manager sells the facility first, before giving a price. When secret shopping we have to act like we know nothing about storage. This can be hard because we are also a call center that takes over flow calls for storage. We turn their missed calls in to profit.  What the manager needs to say is all about the great features, the security, easy access, and then the great price.

While we have been secret shopping we have gotten all kinds of responses. One time, a rep was secret shopping and the store manager said when he answered was, have you been calling here? The rep said no, and he said, well someone keeps calling here and hanging up. He was so worried about someone hanging up on him that he did not even ask the rep (the customer) if he could help them. How would you like to rent from that guy?

There was another time while secret shopping, the store manager was so good that the rep (the customer), gave her real full name, we usually give false names. But she was so thrown by the managers great service and the way he sold the store, when he asked for her name she blurted out her real name before she realized it. She probably would have rented too, had she really needed storage.

Now there are other companies that also do secret shopping for storage. At our call center we feel like we get secret shopped a lot.  We think we know, but it is not always true. The best thing to do is to treat all customers like they are secret shopping in real need of storage. Sell the property give them the best service we can and most important is reserve the storage unit for them.

The purpose of secret shopping is so the owners of storage facilities know how their employees are doing on the phone. This is also a great way to see how their managers are running their store. Are they selling their facility? Are they giving the customers all the security and benefits for renting with them? Are they giving good correct information to their customers, and inviting them to their facility? Or even the best, are they reserving a unit for the customer?

So many reps have secret shopped and heard managers of their location just throw the price out there. They do not ask any questions to the potential customer. The best question to ask is, when do you need storage, so the manger knows what he is working with. Then you can determine where to go from there. If the customer needs it now, the manager then can create a sense of urgency of availability and reserve the storage unit. If the mangers or employees are not doing this, the only way for the property owner is to know is to the have their facilities using a secret shopping program. It is good for their profit and for the managers to learn how to sell their storage facility.

Maryland Storage Units

StorageMart 10700 W 159th Street Orland Park, IL 60146

Car Storage

Tweet This Post 

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