Objectivity in narratives

In reading through the sample narratives provided by many companies, I've noticed that positive comments are nearly always quite general ones ("Salesperson was pleasant and helpful"

and negative ones tend to be very specific ("Salesperson ignored me when I asked for help"

. I'm aware that it's essential to carefully document the negative encounters, but is it all right to be equally specific about the good ones?

For example, I have a two part assignment that consists of a phone call followed by personal visit. During the phone call, the salesman really impressed me by asking me to repeat my name so he could be sure he was pronouncing it correctly. It's an unusual name, frequently mispronounced, and I appreciated his desire to get it right. I'd like to say something like "The salesman showed a genuine interest in me by making sure he pronounced my name correctly." But in reading through this company's sample reports, all I see is comments like "The salesperson was enthusiastic and interested in my needs." Does this suggest that the clients don't really want to know particulars unless there is a specific situation that must be dealt with?

Grr, I just realized that this forum software is rendering a quote followed by a close parenthesis as some kind of smiley face!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2013 04:35PM by LizW.

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Gosh, I am no expert but I would definitely put in the good details.

The caveat is that you do not want to add so much detail that you can be identified.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I'm objective and specific in my narratives, whether it's about something positive or negative. In the past when I was just starting out and I wrote a sentence like, "The server was very helpful," the editor would ALWAYS ask for details and tell me to be very specific about the details.

In some reports, there are questions asking for your opinion or thoughts. They might ask you to step outside the mystery shopper role and give your opinion as a regular customer. I've seen questions asking if I would spend my own money in a restaurant or recommend it to friends and colleagues and to give specifics. I save my subjective opinions for those types of questions.

I'm specific about the details whether good or bad. Where possible I may use exact quotes.

Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain

I like your example of good service. It is objective because he did ask how to pronounce your name correctly and shows interest on his part. So much of this job is subjective I think that we need to use direct quotes and empirical evidence instead of just our opinions.

If I feel strongly about something that happened but could identify me as the shopper, I state it in a more general way. For example, how do you know that he doesn't ask everyone how to say their names? I think the way you wrote it is perfect. (But how hard is it to say "Liz" anyway? LOL!)

*********************
I'm "Sandi" in the Middle!

I was rooting for you including it in the report....until I read walesmaven. She is absolutely right. It's too specific--something that didn't dawn on me until I had been doing this for a few months. If you were his boss, yes, you would want to be specific in your praise, since it's more meaningful and motivational, however as a mystery shopper you want to remain under the radar and a more a generic, positively stated comment would suffice.

So I think you are correct in assuming the MSC only needs specifics when someone's gonna get spanked.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

LizW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Grr, I just realized that this forum software is
> rendering a quote followed by a close parenthesis
> as some kind of smiley face!

."

It's helpful to know who is privvy to our reports. Sometimes, it may only be Corporate; other times they're given to location management; and other times, they're shared with the associates. I shop for some MSCs who request specifics, advising that the client would not do anything to jeopardize a shopper's identity. Other MSC clients prefer generalized reports.

I manage a business that gets mystery shopped. My operations are part of the larger operations of a sub-contractor. I get the reports e-mailed to me directly from the mystery shop company. I have had to ask a couple of clarifying questions and can respond directly to the MSC. It is very cool to actually get the finished product from a mystery shopper. I never see receipt information. The header on the shop will give generic information about the shop: date, time, gender of shopper, etc.

In my opinion, the more detail you provide, the better the client appreciates it.

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Objectivity in narratives

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