Mystery Shopper

Mystery Shopper called on agents in Morley, Yorkshire to seek advice on coach trips to Europe. She was planning to buy a surprise present for her parents and was keen to find a tour which would involve visits to castles and vineyards. All the agents had product to offer, though none of the agents went into the specifics of the enquiry.

Please note that no additional information will be given about Mystery Shopper.

This agency was small but made the most of the shortage of space. The brochure racks were well stocked.

There was one consultant on duty but she was busy with a customer. She acknowledged me while I waited and I was served within 5mins.

She greeted me with a cheery smile, and apologised for the short delay. She checked what I was looking for and asked me what sort of destinations my parents liked, then referred me to Wallace Arnold Europe brochure and went through all the various options, explaining what each tour itinerary offered.

She highlighted the centred holidays where you stayed in one place and did different day trips as opposed to the touring holidays which involved at most two nights in any one place. She went through the various itineraries on the map. She suggested I take the brochure home and give her a call when I had made a decision. Despite the fact the consultant only gave me one brochure to look at, the overall level of service was far superior to that offered by rivals. I would have returned to book as I felt the consultant had taken an interest in the enquiry.

* Agency appearance

* Product knowledge

* Staff attitude

* Brochure racking

* Sales technique

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There were two consultants on duty in this very tidy and neat agency.

I was served immediately by a consultant who quickly picked out Leger Discover Europe, Shearings and Wallace Arnold Europe brochures.

She quickly flicked through the brochures highlighting the types of tours available.

The consultant pointed out the shorter duration tours as I was looking for a week-long tour only.

She mentioned that Wallace Arnold and Shearings would do local pick-ups and Leger would do a pick-up in Leeds.

The consultant gave me her card and suggested I call back if I needed further assistance.

She was short, sharp and to the point.

* Agency appearance

* Product knowledge

* Staff attitude

* Brochure racking

This agency was neat with well-stocked brochure racks. There were three consultants on duty and I was served by a consultant who gave me Wallace Arnold Europe and Shearings Holidays brochures.

She said both companies featured France and Germany and their tours were the sort of things I was looking for, although she did not go through them with me.

She also suggested that Cosmos was worth looking at but she did not have any brochures for them at present. She asked if there was anything else she could help me with, but when I said I did not wish to do an availability check as yet, she concluded the enquiry. She gave me her card and suggested I call with any further queries.

* Agency appearance

* Staff attitude

* Brochure racking

There were three consultants on duty in this plain looking agency with three consultants – all were busy with customers, but I was served within a few minutes.

The consultant first recommended Robinsons and said it was a very good company and its prices were reasonable. She pointed out a few of the tours like War Time Memories though it was hardly appropriate to my enquiry.

She also gave me Wallace Arnold Europe and quickly flicked through the brochures to show the range of tours.

She also mentioned Shearings Holidays, but did not have a brochure to give me. She suggested I take some brochures home and call if I needed any help.

* Staff attitude

* Brochure racking

Tip 1: Make sure you know what the customer wants. I was not looking just any coach tour, but one specifically geared to particular interests.

Tip 2: Highlighting the difference between centred and touring holidays is useful when selling coach-based packages