Performance In People
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Isle of Wight, PO33 1QT
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info@performanceinpeople.co.uk

Case Studies

Honda

Paul Hunter Development Standards Manager at Honda UK was interviewed by our roving reporter on what a successful mystery shopping programme looked like:

Before moving to Performance In People in 2003, Honda had worked with a number of mystery shopping providers, but none delivered what Honda was looking for - improved customer service and increased sales. Paul Hunter Development Standards Manager at Honda UK was interviewed by our roving reporter:

PiP- Tell us about your role

Paul Hunter - I look after everything in the showrooms; mystery shopping, sales management, looking after the provision of customer demonstration cars and making sure that standards, which are a key part of our relationship with our distributors, is maintained fully.

PiP - What problems did you have with your previous mystery shopping programme?

Paul Hunter - One of the key problems that we had was that we had been sending out mystery shopping results for a number of quarters and were not seeing any consequence, in terms of changed customer handling or changed sales process. So what we are really looking for is people who can help us deliver change in the selling process, which Performance In People are already starting to deliver for us.

PiP- What improvements have Honda seen already?

Paul Hunter - The kind of thing that we are looking for is to make sure that customers are identified, that their details are captured and obtained, that people are shown the car properly, that they are invited to take a test drive, that that invitation is clear and does actually make sure that the momentum in the sale is continued, that staff demonstrate the car properly and that they follow up enquiries. Follow up is obviously a key factor as people do more internet shopping, etc. and are more likely to walk away and take time to make a decision.

PiP- What is the data telling you so far?

Paul Hunter - The data tells us that, in terms of identification of the customer, there are some improvements. Certainly in terms of qualifying what the customer wants, presenting the right features and the right car, those things are happening. We are seeing an increase in the number of customers who are closed on a test drive appointment.

PiP- What changes have you seen?

Paul Hunter - The major change from what we had before, to have wanted to achieve, with new suppliers and how we do that between us is following through the DVD's to make sure that the Area Manager and the Dealer Principal recognise the things that need to be done within the dealership, not just on the individual featured on the tape. So, we have had a lot of conversations and a lot of coaching and training on how to deliver change within the whole business, based on that one mystery shop tape.

PiP- How have retailers responded?

Paul Hunter - There was a fairly jaundiced view amongst some people about "Here's another mystery shop tape" and just using it for negative purposes to criticise the individual, whereas, what we have got now is recognition that, with the right discipline of coaching and explanation and discussion, we can get a positive benefit; not just for the featured salesperson, but also for the dealership as a whole. We are really pleased with the early signs.

PiP- How will the programme progress?

Paul Hunter - In terms of development, the things we are looking at next are integrating mystery shopping with our lead management system. We are lucky that we receive an ever increasing number of leads, through our own internet facilities for example and through our own national call centre, and those leads go through to the network. What we will be looking at is ways of making sure that those leads are followed up properly, because we know that they are very serious prospects that do deserve active following up. That's the next step

PiP- So why Performance In People?

Paul Hunter - Both the briefing at the front end of the process and the de-briefing and coaching sessions at the back, the training if you like and so forth, those are areas that I identified where there was a significant difference between suppliers and particularly with the coaching and the following through. To deliver change, that was an area where Performance In People was stronger.