Businesses that don't make an effort to see themselves through customers' eyes can pay a hefty price — in lagging sales, says Melissa Brown, founder and president of Vantage Points, a mystery shopping firm in Forest Park.

        Her company sends trained personnel into stores and restaurants to observe and comment on everything from the appearance of the place to the helpfulness of employees.

        Ms. Brown regards her business as a calling.

Vantage Points president Melissa Brown talks with Joe Grote, president of Grote Bakery, at the White Oak location. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        “I have many years of customer service experience,” she said. “I've worked in customer service in call centers. I've done retail and worked in restaurant management, and was toying with the idea of starting my own business. Quite honestly, this business was just born out of seeing a need. The market was out there for us.”

        Fanning her passion for good customer service was an incident that happened just before Ms. Brown took the plunge.

        “I had an issue with my bank,” she said. “Because they didn't help me resolve it, I told them I wanted to close my account. They said OK.”

        Aghast that a bank would willingly lose a customer, Ms. Brown was determined that she would help businesses realize the importance of retaining customers and keeping them loyal.

        Many Vantage Points clients initially contact the company as the result of a crisis.

        “They say, "We have a problem with this.' We go in and benchmark it, and then work from there,” Ms. Brown said.

MYSTERY SHOPPING

Does the idea of being a mystery shopper appeal to you?     Vantage Point looks for folks who are everyday shoppers, and likes to put them to work in retail establishments where the shoppers would most likely go anyway. Curt Derby won't send you to rate a golf course if you can't tell a wood from a putter.     From its pool of about 450 shoppers, Vantage Points uses fewer than 100 on a regular basis. The shoppers who receive the most assignments are those who are observant, follow special directions to a “t,” meet deadlines and can produce a well-written, readable report.     All of Vantage Point's mystery shoppers are independent contractors and are paid with merchandise credits. That is, a grocery store shopper would be reimbursed for a certain amount of her purchases, or a golfer could play a round for free.     To contact Vantage Points, call 851-8597.

        That's the Band-Aid approach that most clients want at first, said Curt Derby, Vantage Points' recruitment and scheduling manager. But the firm's shoppers can help the client business move well past troubleshooting.

        “In the beginning, we are problem-solvers,” he said. “But mystery shopping really works best when owners or managers self-monitor.”

        Rather than be a threat, Mr. Derby added, mystery shoppers can motivate everyone in the workplace to give the best possible service all the time.

        Said Ms. Brown: “Consistency will build. Negative comments point out problems, but we're looking for the good, also. Positive comments build employees' morale. If you know that every customer who walks in potentially could be a mystery shopper, the results can be extremely successful.”

        When the company starts working for a new client, its shoppers benchmark the current situation and sample sometimes as often as six times a week. As the feedback begins to change employee behavior, the frequency of sampling declines and then levels off.

        Businesses that sign up with Vantage Points just to keep themselves on their toes would have a briefer benchmarking period before progressing to a maintenance level.

        Since starting Vantage Points in October 2000, Ms. Brown has found that potential clients are happy to hear that there is a mystery shopping firm based in Cincinnati. She and Mr. Derby work hard to build on that hometown advantage, pointing out that their shoppers are Tristate residents, familiar with area businesses and local culture.

        But their primary emphasis, as customer service consultants, is with the quality of their own product. That means careful screening of shopper applicants, attention to detail in the handwritten reports and scrupulous follow-up. Mr. Derby said he always checks reports for correct spelling and grammar, as well as for completeness and specific information.

        After just six months in business, Vantage Points has about 25 customers to its credit. As its pool of mystery shoppers expands, the company can handle more customers. Ms. Brown and Mr. Derby think that their services provide good value.

        “When you're looking at the big scheme of things, many companies spend millions on advertising to attract new customers,” Ms. Brown said. “Typically, very few — if any — dollars are spent on keeping the customers they already have happy and loyal. Just being satisfied at one grocery store, for example, won't keep you from going to a competitor. Satisfaction is the lowest level of OK.”
       

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