Dining Around with Gene Burns - Saturdays, 10 a.m to 1 p.m. on KGO Radio, AM 810

Do you really want to know what they're saying about you? You should...

Last week I posted a Twitter about a secret shopper service that we were conducting for a wine club. I added, "Why doesn't every wine club do this?" I got a response right away from Chris Doran at J Doran Vineyards: "Insecurity Margie. Many people would rather not know the truth." And I must say, I agree completely! There might be some unflattering feedback - and really, who wants to hear bad news?

Unfortunately, not hearing about what may be going wrong doesn't mean it's not actually happening! And it this case what you don't know can hurt you - a lot. Times are hard enough as it is, without losing customers unnecessarily. And many dissatisfied customers can be turned around - if only you realize they are dissatisfied - and why.

And the flip side is - it isn't all bad news! Some of our clients get the most incredible, positive feedback, enabling them to reward the right employees, purchase the right products, plan the right events, and continue in general to do the things that make their customer's happiest.

We provide two customer solutions for getting customer feedback: custom guest satisfaction surveys and a wine club secret shoppers program. What's the difference? Let me give you two examples..

The first example is a wine retailer who is using a custom guest satisfaction survey. They use the survey not only to find out how they are doing, but also to find out more about their customers; by asking things such as: Where else do you shop? What type of events would you like to attend? How did you hear about us? they are able to get a better idea of who their customer is, and what they really want. Simply asking the customers how they heard about them enabled them to refocus their advertising, using only the avenues that were truly producing, thus saving a lot of unnecessary spending. Asking what types of events their customers want spurs enables them to focus their energy on the most popular choices - and can really spur creativity as well.

The second example is a large wine club who uses our wine club secret shopper program. A specified number of times each month, our shopper calls to inquire about the wine club and/or to place an order. Trained in what the exact standards are for the company enable to her to ask very targeted questions and to report on what is happening just as it should - and what is not, enabling the company to focus their training on where it is really needed. Isn't it important for you to know if each of your team members is meeting the minimum standards or really exceeding them? Or worse, not meeting them at all...

The key to either program is in the design and execution. Knowing not only what to ask, but the how and why as well. With so many surveys and "shops" behind us, it still never gets boring! Each new client is unique and it is always a joy to figure out how to best meet their needs, enabling them to do what they do best - meeting their customers needs!

If you want information on how we can help you, email me or call me at 707-319-2500.

A couple of notes:

We are not currently conducting tasting room secret shoppers, just wine club.

And no, we are not currently hiring secret shoppers! (This seems to be a job everyone wants!)

Do you really want to know what they're saying about you? You should...

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