Published On:Thursday, April 29, 2010

By CHESTER ROBARDS

Business Reporter

crobards@tribunemedia.net

CUSTOMER service has a nameless and faceless ally, with a new Bahamian-owned and operated Mystery Shopping agency hoping to change the stigma of "bad service" allegedly plaguing this country's many restaurants, retail stores and government agencies.

Principal of Mystery Shopper, Dorian Roach, has partnered with Ryan Knowles to help raise the standard of service at stores, shops and firms across the country.

According to Mr Roach, mystery shopping seeks to help business owners maintain standards in their stores by ensuring employees are following the protocols laid out for them by their employer.

"This is a customer service programme where we provide a mystery shopper," said Mr Roach.

"They basically go into a business and rate the service they get."

He added that mystery shoppers not only record notes on what they find when they enter a business, but also use hidden cameras to document the interaction between customer and staff for training purposes.

"We make sure certain standards are adhered to, just to make sure they are being followed and done to that standard," Mr Roach said.

"It's more of a training tool than a punitive tool. If you tell a staff member they didn't do something, they don't get the picture until they see themselves doing it. The video shows a lot more than what the paper report can."

Mr Roach said he and his partner have been in the retail business for a number of years and understand the need for mystery shoppers in stores across the Bahamas.

He said he had used mystery shopping in his own stores, and found that many times employees did not follow through on service standards when managers were not on the floor.

Therefore, he and his partner decided to put a dent in the "bad" customer service railed about regularly in the Bahamas.

"Staff will do all the right things until you are not around," said Mr Roach.

Major quality assurance services such as this exist throughout the United States, such as AAA, which rates a plethora of companies across the world.

Mr Roach said it can be a very lucrative business here. "You always hear how bad the service is in the Bahamas, so there is definitely a need for it," he said.