Like most retailers, the Postal Service uses mystery shoppers — customers unknown to the retail staff who fill out evaluations on their shopping experience — to determine how well retail units are performing. Not every postal retail unit is visited by mystery shoppers. Only units with a certain amount of revenue are included in the mystery shopper program.
Mystery shoppers record how long they spent in line, how the retail unit looked, how courteous the retail associates were, and other details about their visit. For example, sales associates are supposed to ask whether a package contains anything liquid, fragile, perishable, or potentially hazardous. Mystery shoppers are asked to note down whether anyone asked them this about their package.
Five weeks ago, Pushing the Envelope dealt with the topic of “upselling.” Some of the questions on the mystery shopper evaluation relate to which products sales associates promote to their customers. Given the variety of customers and types of transactions, the need for a uniform approach to customers is important. Is it appropriate, however, to include items generally viewed as “upselling” in the mystery shopper program?
Loading ...What about the mystery shopper program in general? Is it effective or can it be improved? What do you think is the most effective way to ensure postal retail units provide good retail service?
This blog is hosted by the OIG’s Risk Analysis Research Center (RARC).
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I recently mailed a small parcel. At the beginning of the customer visit I told the retail clerk that the parcel contained only books. She offered me Priority Mail and Express Mail rates and associated special services. Parcel post rates were not quoted, but I could see them on the cusotmer display. I had to ask the retail clerk for the media mail rate–twice–before she would provide the quote. I mailed my parcel at the lowest available rate, medial mail.
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for goodness sakes, you are tying retail clerks hands with this program, window clerks know how to do their jobs and do them well, while there are always those that arent so great, the majority are. instead of serving customers and chatting with them, i have to ask 30 questions and try to sell them overnight, which nobody wants except for the people that ask about it, knowing thats exactly what they want. you cut retail jobs, and then expect the ones left to serve the customers well and in a timely manner, then dump this garbage on them, not only that but it costs millions of dollars, that i guarantee arent being made back from “up selling”. not only that but the apwu, along with naps and napus have all joined in the call to get rid of this system, but some ego maniac at a desk is insisting on keeping this going so they can justify their own job. get rid of it, and let the clerks do their jobs.
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The mystery shopper program is a complete waste of customer’s time. I stopped going to the PO because I feel like I am at a used car lot. I only patronize UPS stores to mail my letters and packages. I now buy my stamps at Costco. I am tired of getting harassed every time I try to mail a greeting card to a family member.
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the current mystery shopper program must be eliminated… it is a turn-off to the customers and makes the usps/clerks look stupid. it is annoying to all those involved, employees and patrons. a better idea (than suggesting every possible service to every possible customer every time they set foot in a PO) would be to take turns, weekly or monthly, high-lighting/recommending our various services.
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“Given the variety of customers and types of transactions, the need for a uniform approach to customers is important.”
The above sentence is the problem. Doesn’t a variety of customers and a variety of transactions necessitate a variety of approaches? The above statement is mired in a process over results, one-size-fits-all mentality. It’s why lines move slow and customers are pissed.
There is a need for a shopper program, but not for disciplinary reasons, rather for ways to enhance the customer’s experience with the Postal Service. The shopper will need to pay attention to the customers, as well as the employees. If the Postal Service wants to remain viable and relevant in the current economic climate, accommodating the customer — as opposed to the customer accommodating the Postal Service — is the way to go.
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Either shop all PO’s or none at all. Tired of hearing customers say-they never ask me that at so and so office. Are we not all the same post office?
This lame program needs to be let go. It’s embarassing for the clerk and obnoxious for the customers to listen to over and over and over again. They can’t stand it. I refuse to confuse elderly and foreign customers with the hogwash we have to say. Mystery shopper program is one of many blackeyes on the postal service just to justify some white collar overpaid job.
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What a waste of time! You need to stop this program as soon as possible. No wonder why the lines are long. Let us go and mail our parcels without all the hubba bubba. We know how we want to mail it and don’t need any upselling!!!
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I do not work in a mystery shop office. I am routinely greeted by my customers with- “No, no, no, and no, I do not want insurance and I do not want Delivery Confirmation, and I do not want any stamps or packaging supplies. Just Mail my package the cheapest way.”
That is before I say anything!
Regular customers are sick of this robotic nonsense, and dread facing the barrage of questions.
In smaller offices we know what our regular customers are Mailing, what services they want, and how to help them, without following a script.
They do NOT want to feel like they are ay McDonald’s when they come to the Post Office.
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When I was a window clerk at Manhattanville Station, I remmembered what the “regular” customer wants or needs. There were few customers who come to the office to buy stamps & money-orders about three or four times a month. Is it necessary to If they want packaging supplies, etc? There a few small businesses who send their employees to us to mail their packages; they always send them parcel post with delivery confirmation if the mailing areas are close or priority with confirmation when mailing out west or rural areas. Why try to upsell? My very last mystery shoppers “failed” me because I didn’t make eye contact!! Since my window was at the head of the line, I would look the customer in the eyes and wave him/her to my window!! This “shopper” was fidgetting and wasn’t speaking directly into the “speaker” in the glass partition. I had to crank my head to one side to hear. I Greeted the customer. I Inquired. I Suggested (aka upsell). And I Thanked the customer. The customer wasn’t mailing anything so the HAZMAT question didn’t applied. My supervisor punished me by not putting on the window!! The mystery shopper wasn’t suppose to be used for disciplinary purposes!!
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Here is the question: Should the mystery shopper program include items generally viewed as “upselling”? I don’t know what it means. Should the shopper go in and ask for a product like Express Mail? Should the shopper ask a general question and write down whether the clerk tries to push Express Mail? So much for clarity.
The Postal Service should have a basic and fundamental assignment of trying to be helpful to people and telling them all reasonable options, even making suggestions thought to be helpful. Upselling is an attempt to take advantage of someone, for your own profit. That should be against any code of honesty or morality or ethics.
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its the most stupid thing that i have to do. i mean come on is it liquid or hazardous when they are mailing a 1 oz flat. I fail the mystery shop every time. One time its for not describing what tape does or i didnt explain what insurance is for, please if you own a car or a house you know what insurance does. Just cut it out and see just how much revenue goes up in retail units. Im the steward in my office, I tell all window clerks when they fail the shop to say they asked the questions because its there word against the shopper anyway and disipline can be beat everytime.
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The mystery shop program is a waste of money.Most window clerks know their jobs and can usually read a customer in the first few seocnds of a transaction. When a customer asks, “Send it the cheapest way.” The window clerk should not be obligated to offer Express Mail first. Offer Priority Mail and the Parcel Post. Customers want a quick and easy transaction.
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I resent trying to be sold things I don’t want or need. I don’t know how you could make more money by mistreating and losing customers.
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It should not be part of the mystery shopper. Look around, if they want it, let them buy it. I feel less bombarded at the checkout in the grocery store. It looks like we were taken over by Big Lots now. Why are we so determined to be in the retail business??? Pictures, stationery, ties, colored boxes, handbags, pins, pens, and stuffed animals. When will it all end??? I just want a weight and a price and maybe a few stamps without the APC in the lobby. Next, please!!!
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Nine (9) steps required for the perfect transaction, including asking the customer to consider renting a
P O Box, ironically, since our station is on the hit list and may be closing soon. This is way more than “Would you like Fries?”. Customers are annoyed, SSA’s (Window Clerks) are demeaned, and overall service declines. I do not like sounding like an autobot, but am given no choice, facing discipline for going ‘offscript’. Please give SSA’s a little credit for dealing with customers with intelligence and efficiency, and not treating the customers like an assembly line.
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When the measure of a program is determined by how well the person hired by the Postal Service is treated,something is wrong.
Greet the customer. Ask them how soon they want the package to get there and then help them accordingly.
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As a level 22 Postmaster
The mystery shopper program was a good idea in its time, but it is completly dated and obsolete.
1.The program should be revamped and done internally to save all the expenses associated with the program, Retail/Marketing programs in all Districts are already doing DIM weight and test mystery shops so why are we paying someone to do something we already do. This is something that the Business Development Team should be doing.
The program should do DIM weight shops, and incoporate a random verification of parcels at the offices to check for short paid items in the office to capture Revenue.
2. MOST IMPORTANT-customers hate standing in line, and often turn away WE need to incorporate the SSA Revenue Goal system into the mystery shop program and create an incentive for the sales associates to increase their productivity and revenue. These personnel need to be rewarded if they capture the most revenue and process the most transactions in a set time period. If sales associates had incentive to achieve a reward for moving the line and upselling we would ensure much more revenue. Right now the only incentive managers have is to issue discipline and as former sales person I can guarantee you that DOES not work in sales. We cannot treat the Retail Units like a Carrier Unit it just doesn’t work and many of the upper level managers are operations people and need to be trained to think outside the box in Retail.
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So you asked and everyone gave you about the same answer.The customer doesn’t like it the workers are ashamed of it and the Union doesn’t approve of it (the mystery shopper)when will the USPS ever listen to what we all have to say.Get rid of mystery shopper!Open your ears USPS! and listen.
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30 years and counting as a manager and I have seen so many of these types of programs come and go and this one should go the way of all the others.
I do not agree that clerks should get a bonus for doing their job though!
The clerks are there to provide a service to our customers…. to get the customer through the line and to give them the answers to the questions they might have.
We do have to make sure what they are shipping is not hazardous though, but if it looks like a flat or letter than I do not think they have to ask the question.
My clerks feel as though they are stealing from the customers when they “Up sell”…………..
I like the idea of local management or internal shops being done and having the clerks highlight a specific item weekly……….changing it so that the customers (regulars) just might listen to see what is new and not the “Same old Same Old” they hear now………
You need to address this issue and stop this program as it now is done, but I feel you won’t and you are trying yourself to justify your position within the Postal Service just are the “Others” are doing that make us do this day in and day out!!!!!!!!!!
Shame on them and shame on you for taking a paycheck every two weeks to justify such waste in a time when we should be looking at every dollar spent and the return that we get for each of them.
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Excuse me. You don’t agree that SSA’s should get a bonus for “doing their job”? I wholeheartly agree. But I also don’t think anyone on the management team should either. Aren’t they just doing their jobs too?
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I’m a manager and I agree with you wholeheartedly Chev. The NPA and bonus process for management is a perversion creating counterproductive incentives and encouraging bad behavior.
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Like so many ideas that originate out of Headquarters the Mystery Shop program is a well intended idea gone completely awry. Like virtually every other measurement or benchmark we institute the measurement becomes the meaning rather than serving as a descriptive tool.
Many of these things play well in the theoretical environment of business or marketing classes but in the real world scripted selling just annoys people. Unfortunately this is just another instance where senior management assumes that everyone but them is stupid.
The problem isn’t Mystery Shop or any particular problem, it’s a hidebound, autocratic corporate culture that smothers initiative and independent thought. For years those of us in the field have been treated as if we’re stupid, incompetent or thieves – that kind of thinking becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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If there is anyone out there defending the mystery shopper program, please give me an answer! With all the management positions that look at numbers all day, tell me if the offices that get 100% all the time on their mystery shopper scores are selling more express or special services than other offices, as a percentage of there transactions. I am a relief clerk and work several offices and I can guarantee you that the robotic script followers are not up-selling any more express than I am. If management has some statistics to back up their program, I would like to see them. Instead of forcing us to use this ignorant, robotic, and mostly ignored dialogue, let us read the customer and up-sell what we think they will purchase. If management can’t give me the figures to back up their program, then why are we wasting millions of dollars on it?
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Rich, how much are you willing to bet that you will not be able to find the number of extra express mails that are sold by upselling? Funny how you never hear thses numbers, but will hear about the number of clerks who do not offer the service. Even if such a figure did exist, I bet it would turn into a benchmark that each office will have to meet (or be NON COMPLIANT). Another log to sign and fax to tell the POOM how many Expresses were sold that day and so on….
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