In tough economic times, consumers are more aware of service delivery than ever. Any outing – be it a visit to the movies, shopping at the mall, an excursion, or even a wine tasting – is actively competing with a cost-effective afternoon of Netflix and homemade popcorn at home. We don’t want to let our thoughts go in this direction, and most definitely not drive customers to choose this alternative. So what to do?
Every rand spent is compared to the value proposition that it provides.
Let’s use wine tasting as an example: This is absolutely a leisure activity, not a need. The decision to go wine tasting is planned. The big challenge of planned activities is that consumers arrive with a set of expectations. Without understanding these expectations, you may be setting yourself up for failure.
In the example of buying bread and milk: a consumer will leave home, go to a store where they expect to find bread and milk, and have a reasonably good idea of how much they will be spending. When the consumer arrives at the store, they simply pick the bread they want and the milk that their household prefers, maybe stroll through the aisles a bit, pay for their groceries, and head home. Expectations are met.
So what? There will be no social media post or conversation to follow about this mediocre occurrence of a shopping experience with met expectations.
Now, let's change the narrative. The store is out of bread! How dare they! What is the first thing this shopper will do when they get home? Yup, they talk about it. “Can you believe I had to go to two stores for BREAD?” Big deal? Not really, but a basic expectation was not met.
Let's change the narrative again. The shopper gets to the store. An overwhelming smell of freshly baked bread greets them at the door, and the baking aisle is filled with options. What do they do when they get home? They talk about it: “Look at this awesome freshly baked ciabatta I scored.” Big deal? Not really, but a basic expectation was exceeded.
Unfortunately, the same thing happens at wine estates. Guests turn up for wine tasting. We're understaffed or we happen to fill the morning session with the new girls who have not completed their training yet. Or worse... We have a highly skilled tasting room consultant delivering mediocre standards.
Is this really the way the wine industry should approach the festive season?
Training is extremely important, but so is putting that training to the test. While the wine.co.za DTC Academy offers a range of training options (including a front-of-house workshop in November), the importance of testing service is evident.
We have, therefore, launched a mystery shopping program.
Mystery shopping is a quantifiable qualitative research methodology that provides an overview of the customer experience from the viewpoint of the customer.
It is conducted at an unknown time by an unknown wine consumer just popping in for a tasting. Throughout the tasting, the shopper observes the service delivery and staff interaction, reviews the cleanliness of the facility, and pays attention to the extent to which the host is making an effort to upsell and engage. A few days after the evaluation, the estate is provided with a detailed report, giving feedback on the experience and crucial touch points.
The extent of a mystery shopping program may vary. It ranges from a detailed evaluation that takes place frequently and is followed by regular feedback and training sessions for staff, it or can be simplified to a once-off snapshot of your service delivery. The program can be custom-designed according to your budget.
We are 10 weeks (and counting) away from the festive season. Are you ready to give your visitors an experience that exceeds their expectations?
Mystery shopping
The wine.co.za DTC Academy is focused on enabling South African wine producers to get the most out of their consumers. The mystery shopping program is an extension of the training services already offered.
The program follows the international standards for mystery shopping. All shoppers undergo meticulous training to prevent their own biased behaviour from influencing the reports.
Mystery shop visits are conducted by small groups (2-4 shoppers) to mimic the natural occurrence of wine tastings and may include a purchase. All reports are cross-checked with a mini focus group between shoppers to ensure the development of complementary thought evolution, whereafter a report is generated by an experienced research manager who uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Mystery shopping evaluations start from R1 800 per visit, depending on the needs of the estate.
Workshop: Front-of-house training
In November, the wine.co.za DTC Academy will present a course focused on front-of-house (FOH) and service skills. The course is aimed at young professionals in the wine and hospitality industry who are advancing to the next level of their careers, those preparing to do so, and seasoned service staff looking to do a refresher course. The November FOH workshop is aimed at outputs with practical advice.
Presented over 3 weeks, this course will look at:
- The basics of customer service
- Communication skills
- Knowledge (people and product)
- Living the brand
- Time management
- Leadership
- Roles and responsibilities
- Conflict resolution and customer feedback
- Sales techniques and database building
- Policies, procedures, legislation and good practice
Important details and pricing
All sessions are hosted online, eliminating staffing and transport challenges. The workshop consists of short, 90-minute sessions hosted over three weeks, followed by an one-on-one session with each participating member. Sessions will take place on Wednesdays at 13h00 - 14h30.
Participants receive a certificate of participation upon completion of an online questionnaire to assess knowledge transfer.
Pricing:
- Online workshop: R1 500 per screen (ex. VAT)
- Onsite workshop: R4 500 (ex. VAT) for 3-5 staff members
Onsite training may incur travel fees.
Kindly note that all CellarDirect and wine.co.za directory clients get 10% off.
To ensure that each participant receives personal attention, the audience is limited to only 15 wineries, so hurry and book your spot today.
Contact xania@wine.co.za to book a mystery shopping visit for your tasting room, or enroll your staff for the front-of-house workshop taking place in November.