You’ve Been Shopped! Mystery Shopping for Better Service

1. You’ve Been Shopped! Mystery Shopping for Better Service The UCF Libraries Experience Marcus Kilman

2. Tools for better customer service: • Hiring the right people • Training • Department internal training • UCF training • Other • OPAC/Database training • Reference Interview training • Printer/Copier service training • Empowerment

3. Tools for better customer service (cont): • Judgment • Mutual Trust • Job Satisfaction • Feedback • Surveys • Suggestions/Comments Box (also online) • Open Door policy • Mystery Shopper

4. Mystery Shopping at UCF • Available through UCF Human Resources’ Office of Organization Development & Training • Developed and facilitated by training consultant Marjorie Chusmir • Circulation Department has completed two Mystery Shopper surveys (May 2006 and October 2007)

5. Planning the Mystery Shopper surveys • First survey preceded by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator session • Met with facilitators to define various shopper interactions • Interactions were both in-person and telephone • Interactions were designed to be “problem patrons”

6. Example “shopper” interactions: • As a student, attempt to check out video or book without UCF ID • Call circulation desk with book title and ask staff to retrieve book and hold at desk • Try to check out a book using driver’s license only, claiming to be local resident who “pays taxes” • Ask at the circulation desk to reserve a study room

7. Measures of success: • In person • Customer awareness • Customer Service • Over the phone • Greeting • Friendliness • Service • All interactions were anonymous

8. Scale of measure: • Strength = interaction was rated high overall • Needs improvement = some elements were rated high and others were not • Strong Development Need = most elements were rated low

9. First survey results: • In-Person: • Customer Awareness = Strength • Customer Service = Needs Improvement • Over the Phone: • Greeting = Strength • Friendliness = Needs Improvement • Service = Needs Improvement

10. Recommendations: • Staff form 3 groups to develop strategies to address: • Friendliness (be “warm and friendly” not just “polite and professional”) • Phone etiquette (formalize procedures for answering and transferring calls, referring when necessary, importance of attitude) • Service (attention to details, thoroughness)

11. Second survey measures: • Measures of success were: • In-person • Customer awareness • Customer service • Policy Adherence • Over the phone • Greeting • Friendliness • Service • Policy Adherence

12. Scale of measure: • Strength = interaction was rated high overall • Opportunity for improvement = some elements were rated high and others were not • Strong Development Need = most elements were rated low

13. Second survey results: • In-person • Customer awareness = Strength • Customer service = Opportunity • Policy Adherence = Strength • Over the phone • Greeting = Opportunity • Friendliness = Opportunity • Service = Strength • Policy Adherence = Strength

14. Recommendations: • Staff continue to work on “warm and friendly” versus “polite and professional”

15. Conclusions: • Mystery Shopper surveys produced no “big surprises” • Mystery Shopper surveys are useful when used in conjunction with other feedback and survey tools • We will continue to use the Mystery Shopper surveys on an irregular basis • Ask for more “aggressive” shoppers

16. Contact information: Marcus Kilman mkilman@mail.ucf.edu (407) 823-2527