Employers are often
surprised to learn the
'perfect staff' is not so
ideal in 'customers' eyes

By Betty Shimabukuro
Star-Bulletin

START thinking you're perfect and you're doomed. Jeanette Kagawa-Okamura finds this to be a valid business credo. But not that long ago she did think of her store, Homeowners Design Center, as a fairly perfect place. It was volunteer shoppers from the Better Business Bureau who kept her honest.

"I always thought our company was good and our employees always thought we were real customer-oriented," Kagawa-Okamura said. "I thought it would be interesting to have another point of view."

So she signed on with the BBB's shopping program, inviting anonymous shoppers to evaluate everything from her employees' phone manners to their sales effectiveness.

The 2-year-old program enlists volunteers to go into stores and restaurants, then report back on their experiences. Volunteer shoppers evaluate customer service, cleanliness of the store, organization of merchandise, effectiveness of signs, even product quality and value.

Although the shop's products and service were generally rated well, the reports made some sobering comments. Shoppers reported being kept on hold for three minutes when a call was transferred. They said salespeople "stressed out" when the store was busy and this made customers anxious.

Others said they felt they were being passed around when they moved, say, from the cabinet department to flooring. "We will not return to the store because they didn't seem interested in us, they didn't ask about our projects," one report read.

This was two years ago, and the design center's 10 employees have taken the comments to heart. More than $100,000 has been spent on formal training programs. Five-minute spot meetings on the sales floor are now held to address problems as soon as they come up. They've worked on easing the transition when a customer must pass between departments.

"We try to stress -- when business is so scarce -- it's so important to know what it takes to get the customer buying from you," Kagawa-Okamura said.

And that's the bottom line, Anne Deschene, BBB president, said.

Volunteer to shop To sign up as a volunteer shopper or to register your business, call the Better Business Bureau at 536-6956 ext. 800 for scheduling. Training is provided.

Businesses sign on to test a number of things: Do their advertisements and promotions match what the customer finds in the store? Are signs confusing? Are salespeople able to offer how-to advice when an electronic item is purchased? Are store hours effective?

Nominal fees are charged, based on factors such as the number of visits required.

Volunteers go out on no more than one visit per month, armed with a questionnaire custom-made for the store they're visiting. Sometimes they're given money to make purchases, other times they just observe. "The killer question always is, 'Would you shop at this company again?' " Deschene said.

They've turned up some serious problems, she said.

One company kept a volunteer on hold for 75 minutes on the phone, and the phone system gave her a message that 100 callers were ahead of her. "The company today -- you ring, you get somebody."

At one store, shoppers reported that the carpet smelled horrible; it was replaced by tile. At another, service was suffering during shift changes, because the most experienced employees were taking their breaks then. At one restaurant, the volunteer didn't even make it inside because the parking lot seemed too dangerous.

Reports are confidential, shoppers remain anonymous and specific employees are never identified, Deschene said. "We are not the shopper police."

Volunteer shoppers are men and women of all ages, and include people with disabilities who test how well businesses comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

About 65 volunteers are signed up with the program, and they've made 300 to 350 visits in two years. Some sign up just because they like to shop, Deschene said, others because they want to learn about business practices and service.

Frank Conkey, a former BBB employee, volunteers to keep his hand in things.

He said he was sent to one restaurant where the service was so poor, "it was three to four minutes before someone even nodded to you." Even cleanliness was a problem.

But on a follow-up visit, Conkey said, it appeared that his comments had been taken to heart and changes had been made.

Carol -- she didn't want to give her last name to preserve her anonymity -- is one of those who does enjoy shopping, and sometimes buys things for herself while on assignment. "I'm one of those people who if we're on holiday we're -- guess what? -- shopping. I'm one of the masses."

She's been sent to clothing and general merchandise stores, and has found service, selection and prices to be good overall.

"I think all these companies that seek out the service should be commended," she said. "Business is really tough now, and anything they can do to keep their customers is worthwhile."