2. Engage a Secret Shopper
It is possible to engage professional secret shoppers to participate in your program and provide a detailed assessment for a modest fee. Alternatively, many programs have had excellent success in engaging employees and managers from other tours in their region, or professionals met through networking at conferences. Staff swaps can be an excellent way to reduce cost and benefit both parties, so long as anonymity is maintained.
The benefits from engaging a professional secret shopper with no background or experience in zip lines and aerial adventure courses differ significantly from those achieved in hiring challenge course professionals. Results from professional secret shoppers are often more customer service-oriented and less focused on the technical aspects of the tour. Professional secret shoppers can be used to test online booking processes, assess responses to difficult booking questions through e-mail or phone calls to the site (as with “Park Spy”), test minimum participant requirements, provide feedback on sent-out materials, and on the guest experience.
Of course, untrained secret shoppers are not the most qualified to assess your operation’s technical aspects. These reviewers might bring biases for certain technical systems and procedures that are not standards-based. In situations where untrained secret shoppers are utilized, it can be useful to establish guidelines and areas of assessment in advance of the visit.
TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS:
Take care not to inform programming staff of a secret shopper’s presence. When programming staff are aware that they are under performance review, common behaviors are often hidden from the shopper. Staff may well pay additional attention to details they might otherwise overlook. Instead, let staff know when they are hired that third-party reviews will occur.Then, keep the review anonymous. Request that the secret shopper not identify himself or herself as a reviewer. As a program manager, maintain your usual role. If you are normally the one to greet a group, cover staffing briefings, or handle difficult customers, do not remove yourself from the position that your staff counts on you to fill in daily operations. Ask the secret shopper to provide a brief letter summarizing the findings. Beyond the immediate benefits, this documentation demonstrates compliance with B.2.7. and will help during risk management reviews to target specific concerns and areas for improvement.
3. Regularly Participate in Other Programs and Canvas the Marketplace.
Whether as a secret shopper, reviewer, or paid participant, set a goal to participate in five or more adventure programs (other than your own) each year. This exposes you to different ways (good and bad) of operating and keeps you from becoming isolated from your peers—a key factor in risk assessment and prevention. Experiencing new models may not always lead to improvements in your program, but critical examination and reflection are key skills to hone in any risk management environment.
Professional trainers, inspectors, and operational reviewers who have the opportunity to visit many sites often comment on the benefit of becoming a critical examiner. When you become practiced at scrutinizing other programs and understanding the breadth of operating systems and processes, you inherently become more experienced at examining your own program and making decisions.
When you examine other programs, the benefits range far beyond risk management. Frequently, these include new marketing ideas and customer service strategies. Developing relationships with other operators through honest dialogue also creates and maintains critical support networks, which may prove invaluable in the future.
These benefits apply not only for course managers, but also for guides and core staff seeking to learn more about the industry and to develop their skill set.
While you can take these steps on your own, several states and geographic regions have formed their own associations for the purpose of training and development, networking, and to educate other stakeholders, such as regulating bodies and jurisdictional authorities. You can tap these organizations for advice and review as well.
TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS:
When visiting other programs, be open-minded to new and unique experiences. Challenge yourself to try course types which you might not have experienced, as well as programs similar to your own.Become an avid fan of those brands which are doing it right, and make note of those courses which you believe are not. Your customers are likely to participate in more than one tour and may come to yours with a pre-conceived notion of what is involved. Understanding the scope of practices in your market can aid in understanding your customer, their needs, wants, and prior experiences.
