Failed shopping reports from Leasing Team

We're putting together a policy to put into place regarding employee performance and failed shopping reports after extensive training. I would love to hear what other companies are doing and if it is working for them.

What policies do you have in place?

Thanks!

I think it's great that your company shops and gives special attention to training! Way to go! More companies should take this lead!

As a server/bartender in my former life, the phrase "secret shopper" makes me cringe. The restaurant that I worked at previously recently replaced their secret shopping with customer surveys. I have seen several businesses do this where customers can go online and report on their experiences afterwards. You need to offer some sort of incentive in order to make people go online though. I feel like this offers a much more realistic perspective and you don't happen to catch one of your leasing agents on a bad day. Thigns that they regularly miss or make mistakes on will be more obvious when reported several times. I think this will also make your employees feel less offended, because you aren't tricking them with a fake prospect. It's quite natural for your employees to be super defensive when reviewing a secret shopping experience since everything could have been based on certain circumstances. I think it would be much more productive to use patterns of behavior rather than a one-time observation while trying to critique your leasing procedures with your staff.

Haven’t worked for a company that had a policy in place specifically for Mystery shops.

Most folks that know me know that I have mixed feelings about Mystery Shops! They have to be used as training tools, not hammers! You can teach someone to ace a Mystery shop and they will still not be able to close the deal! They will ask all the right questions and still can’t get the lease!

If you are providing extensive training, with follow up sessions and the person is just not responding AND has a low closing ratio, perhaps they are better suited to a different position. My philosophy is ‘hire, train, transfer, terminate’.

I have done a number of mystery shops in the real estate industry in KC. For a number of years, we were shopping all properties for one of our largest property management co in KC every 3 months.

The nice thing about a shop is you get to catch someone being good. When I had a shop that did not pass, I always shopped them again. I feel everyone can be having a tough day sometimes, and in the second shop you find out a lot. The company would then get both shops and be able to "coach up or coach out" from there.

I found offices that smelled like urine, a women in a black party dress and hooker hose who was going out after work, children and babies in the office, smoking in the office, "models" that were shown that were most likely the worst thing on the property, etc.
I shopped a lot of really great people as well -- and that is really the point.

Shopping is just a tool. Training is still needed no matter the level of the person being shopped. It is also a way for a company to find out who their people really are. Like the new country song says: "Who are you when I'm not looking!"

I worked for a company many years ago who shopped management employees on a regular basis. The consensus at the time was that over the years, the managers learned how to spot a shopper and that this fact limited the usefulness of the secret shop as a performance improvement tool. The first part turned out to be true, when I would show up on the property after a shop, they would always ask "was I shopped today?".

Problem was that the second part was not true; even when they suspected they were touring a secret shopper, it didn't improve their performance. This always floored me but it taught me two important lessons: One, that secret shopping really is a good way to document poor leasing performance and two, that early training with role playing is essential for ensuring a base level of performance.

I say, keep it going!

Being in this business since 1985, I feel that it is useless to shop your managers. They are usually very busy and YES we can spot a shopper a mile away. If you feel your leasing are not performing, then look to your manager.

Tracy our clients employ our full circle approach which is of course shops that initiate training. Its automated for them which has helped training directors be more focused on the coaching and mentoring process. As some have commented in this thread shops are perceived as such a fearful tool. When implemented by a company with the ultimate objective being that this will accelerate their career path, then the team member feels much more empowered to succeed and progress. Very good discussion taking place here.

Below is our written policy for Shopping Reports:

All shopping reports are sent to our Director of Marketing.

The Director of Marketing will send the report to the Regional Manager of the respective community. The Regional Manager will then forward to the Community Manger. Where written counseling is required, the immediate supervisor for that employee must complete the form, get it approved by HR, and provide the signed copy back to HR by the end of the month in which the shop was completed; this is mandatory.

For any shop that requires a counseling form it will be the Regional Managers responsibility to make sure the Community Manager completes it and that the employee is counseled within the guidelines of our HR policies.

Any shop that requires a training call will be arranged by Corporate Trainer and Marketing Director. They will notify the Community Manager and the Regional Manager of the training that will be required.

With that said, there has been much concern as to how the shopping reports will be handled for each employee that receives a great shop down to those that are extremely poor. Since August, 2009 the below outline has been followed for every employee that receives a shopping report and what each score represents in terms of grade. Each Associate should understand and expect that the level of performance should be within the 2nd bar (90-99).

Score Grade Action

100 = Excellent- Requires a signed Certificate for Excellent Phone/In-Person Shop

90-99 = Good - Requires a signed Certificate for Satisfactory Phone/In-Person Shop

80-89 = Fair - Requires a Training Call with Corporate Trainer. 3 Consecutive Shops at this Level Requires Counseling

0-79 = Poor - Requires a Training Call with Corporate Trainer and Immediate Written Counseling Report. 3 Shops at this Level within 6 Months Requires Termination


All scores that require training will be scheduled by the Corporate Trainer and C Marketing Director with the Property Manager and the Employee. The Corporate Trainer and Corporate Marketing Director will schedule a total of five (5) employees per scheduled training call to ensure maximum participation. The Property Manager for that employee must attend the conference call to ensure that on a go forward basis they are capable of supervising and training the employee with respect to the technique of dealing with a prospect and the expectations on the company. No employee or supervisor may cancel their training session as it is considered mandatory. In the case of a Property Manager requiring training, they will be scheduled separately from any other employee training.

Thank you all for your feedback. I have some wonderful ideas to present and add to what I already put together for my client.

I love when I get shopped! I know I'm weird but I have always used them as a learning tool. I'm always looking for away to increase my knowledge and skills, so what better way to do this then with a secret shopping report. Now I have never been able to tell when I have been shopped because it was ingrained into me that you treat everyone as if they are a shopper. Trust me this works out great and I have had a high closing ratio. I think the only thing that bothers me about shops is when I hear of companies, managers or regional use them for a means to discipline or fire someone. The point of a shop to me has always been a way to see where you need to improve. Now if an employee is continuously failing then you need to re-evaluate why and see if additional training may need to be done.

Hi Jolene, I've been waiting for someone to post this, thank you. Secret shopping is absolutely about improving performance and with your attitude I have no doubt that your closing ratio is off the charts. I love it that you say you treat everyone like a shopper. That's perfect. Thanks for sharing.