vB Easy Archive - Secret shops helped push me away- my letter of resignation

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Secret shops helped push me away- my letter of resignation
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Posted by: StattlichPassat

The harder they come, the harder they fall. I announced my resignation from Cingular on Wednesday morning (see sig for new employer). Here is the uncut version of that letter initially written with no intent of submission to blow off some steam. The actual version submitted to area managers is based off this letter with some key sentences left out. Enjoy.
______________________________

Dear Managers,

Effective Wednesday, September 14th 2005 I will be resigning my position of Assistant Manager in the -------- location and leaving Cingular Wireless.

Though I have taken great pride in pushing this location to record profitability this year and doing my part to build the Cingular family up as America’s largest and most successful wireless carrier, I have been extended offers for greater opportunities elsewhere this week. These positions will lack the uncomfortable and distrusting atmosphere I have come to question recently. This, in regards to a company that deploys undercover judges to preemptively threaten the financial well-being of even the best performing employees if they do not all act and perform in an illogically unified accord regardless of the situation. By suppressing an employee’s unique individuality and personal traits of doing the job, I will no longer be able to perform it to par and satisfy my clients and customers the way that I have proven successful. I also will not stand by and watch my innocent manager be financially punished for how I choose to sell our products and services and see the blame fall into my hands.

I especially would like to thank -----, ----- and ---- for bringing me onto the Cingular Wireless family. The opportunity I was granted and experiences learned have been a privilege in this great industry full of exciting changes. I wish you all the best of continued fortune this year and next.

Sincerely,
------ ---------

Posted by: switchchick

Did they tell you to leave immediately since your going to competitor? What was said after you turned this in? Any questions asked or offers?

Posted by: StattlichPassat

Since I am not going to work for Verizon Wireless, but Verizon Information Services, it is no problem. My manager was very cool about it and didn't want to stand in my way of bettering myself. He knows as well as I do that life is short, and you must capitalize on the best opportunities in it when they present themselves. He then said he was going to go cry as he tried to find someone else (joking) and that I still owed him a round of golf. Cool guy.

It will be a seamless transition after I complete my final two weeks and I'm looking forward to it. It's unfortunate, though- Cingular is an awesome company, but some guy in HR is committing jihad against his own men and women with the consequences on these secret shops. Forget to mention a feature and have your commission slashed in half, advertising yanked and a fraction of the store manager's bonus gone on your account? Fork that.

Posted by: switchchick

I guess thats why in my market they expect a 100 written up if less than 90%. Seems like things are being ran by a bunch of people who have lost there minds?

Posted by: StattlichPassat

It was 85% in my market- one of the country's lowest, though. It's a good idea executed poorly.

Posted by: switchchick

so they are docking the pay from store manager for bad mystery shops?

Posted by: DjDynasty

I do Secret shops in the Chicago area (fair warning people!! I typically get *every* cell phone Secret shop in this area) I do All Cingular (Corporate & InDirect, with more focused on former AT&T Locations) All Verizon Corporate's, All US Cellular Indirects. All Nextels that are Multiple Carrier indirects, All Sprint Corporate. Mind you I managed to find all the companies that do secret shops and do it. Every Cingular rep knows me because of my problems with being a migration account and refusing to migrate. Some of the stores I just hand them the form, grab a business card, tell them to write in the boxes whatever they would like, and let's go get a beer.

US Cellular & Nextel, I shop the hell out of them, they are both two carriers I don't currently have, so they suspect nothing. Sprint knows I know their billing system WAY to much, It's hard to play dumb when I do the follow thru to open an account (My secret shopping for Sprint makes me actually activate a line of service *IF* the rep points out certain things, or atleast act like I want to but my credit won't allow it, I even have a dummy social I'm supposed to use to do it)

Although I did get screwed on a SS with USCC today. Aparently he found out from the cingular guy in the Mall I'm the Secret Shopper (and commented about me being so obsessive about cell phones and having so many) So when I walked into USCC today the guy looked at me and asked what he had to do to get a perfect SS score out of me, (Mind you, all my deducted points with this location have always been the *location* they have outdated dummy phones that they don't even sell anymore. All their paperwork is done to make it look like they are actually a corporate store, you see no Authorized Agent sign anywhere. stuff like that. It's never been anything wrong with his sales, But he keeps drilling me, either buy something, or admit I'm a SS, and tell him what it would take for a perfect scrore. Finally I said "Wine me, dine me & 69 me, and you can write your own SS report to make sure it's perfect" Sadly he said yes to the first 2, and no to the 3rd... Had he only said yes to the 3rd I still would have given him that perfect scrored report :-P

Verizon on the other hand knows I'm a former subscriber with hearing issues on their phones. I couldn't hear them now, but they could hear me (good) They have also figured out I'm a SS also. The manager just asks me what needs to be done at one store I frequent to give them a perfect. I just point at the LoneStar across the street. Although in some cases, They have given me cell phones for my prepaid (which I still have sitting around somewhere) and I pay full price for the phone, and they issue that much in credit to bribe me for a good report.

What's funny is these are the stores that prior to me taking over, the other SS's in the area who did all the different carriers were lucky to give a 75%. So a lot of people lost commission, or got fired because of this person, Whom I found out actually hates cell phones because of bad drivers. Another thing I'm supposed to knock off points on, is where you on your personal cell phone when I walked into the store? If I say yes that's a couple points off the score. Sprint & Radio shack employee's tend to do this more than any other indirect or direct that I've dealt with. Another thing is what your co-workers are doing affects your secret shopping score. (Is he playing with text messaging)
Now mind you, I've had Sprint Reps had me their phone, show me how to download stuff, etc, and I'll lie on other answers to give them a better score because they did that rather than hand me the store phone that's tied down. To me that speaks volumes.

as a SS, my report scrore is calculated by me, and comfirmed by my contract company, who then sends it to the carrier. I think I send the fairest SS scores in considering I myself understand how boring the retail channel can be considering most of the population already has cell phones. I've activated more GoPhones with reps on a SS to get the money back (and keep the phone) from the company to give the person an exceeds expectations 110% score. I have more of those **** $10 airtime booklets laying around that I don't know what to do with them anymore.

Posted by: StattlichPassat

What a quality piece full of accuracy and integrity that was... exactly why I don't trust you types.

Posted by: StattlichPassat

Quote:

Originally Posted by switchchick

so they are docking the pay from store manager for bad mystery shops?

Yes, a significant amount, though I was not told how much. Straight out of the bonuses so many depend on, at no fault of their own.

Posted by: DjDynasty

If you read it closer, you'll see that I actually smudge it for the better, than for the worse. The reason why I don't like to give anyone a crap SS is because the job market sucks, the economy sucks. They should leave whatever carrier because they want to, not because of me. And one US cellular dealer is the only one that ever got SS scores under 95% with me. And they were averaging like 85 or 90. And it was because of the store itself, never anything the rep did.

Posted by: ivwshane

While I'm sure those reps you deal with appreciate the good score you are just giving the OP another reason why to dislike secret shops. By doing what you are doing you are only proving that secret shops are useless and meaningless.

Posted by: DjDynasty

No, Cause if the rep is flat out rude, and/or misinforming me as the customer, I will note that on the report. But these are reps who know me from seeing me so much. So I know that they know how to do their job. Just cause they aren't cramming the media basic's package and roadside assistance down my throat doesn't mean they should be written up. If I hear the rep mention that option to someone else while they are closing another sale, that's good enough for me.

Posted by: StattlichPassat

Quote:

Originally Posted by DjDynasty

If you read it closer, you'll see that I actually smudge it for the better, than for the worse. The reason why I don't like to give anyone a crap SS is because the job market sucks, the economy sucks. They should leave whatever carrier because they want to, not because of me. And one US cellular dealer is the only one that ever got SS scores under 95% with me. And they were averaging like 85 or 90. And it was because of the store itself, never anything the rep did.

Your integrity is shameful and your ignorance is annoying. The economy is doing great, and well enough to weather this natural disaster well (no pun intended)- what rock have you been living under? This isn't 2002 any longer. If the economy sucked, I wouldn't have left a high paying job with Cingular and just jumped ship for no reason. Wake up. And shut up.

Posted by: StattlichPassat

Thanks, tripy.

I was offered an alternate location and even a higher position to stay yesterday, but since it is all the same environment under the same controls at the moment, it didn't matter and I politely declined. Including upcoming holidays, days off and weekends, I only have five days left on the job and am greatly looking forward to leaving- just trying to finish up misc. business I have lying around at the moment before I'm gone.

Posted by: New_Medicines

its really sad to see that these stupid subjective secret shops are driving people to quit their jobs. I still think cingular is a great place to work, we are paid well, great benefits and incentives. But cingular is drivin away the best frontline workers in the industry with these stupid pointless secret shops!!

Posted by: Rcadden

I currently work at an agent location, SC Kiosks, we're owned by RadioShack, and I love it. I was recently offered the position of Assistant Manager at a new corp. store that's opening up in Abilene. I had to decine. The reasons I gave is because at my current job, we don't have strict quotas, we just know that it's our paycheck that suffers. We're not pushed to add-on features, yet I'd say about 33% of my customers will add either MEdiaBasic or some other media package. We don't get secret shopped. I have worked in jobs where the management is so micro it's impossible to do your job, and I hate that. I'm sorry to hear you're leaving, Stattlich, and good luck with Verizon. Good to hear you'll be keeping your Cingular phone, though.

Posted by: -X-

Just got out of one of our Manager meetings.. and IF we don't average atleast 90% on SS it will start affecting our P&L's, hitting out pockets. The ice is getting thin with cingular.. SS aren't the only thing driving me away..

Posted by: switchchick

what is p&L? I guess with that they are going to be on our a$$ more & more. We thought there is a high turnover rate with people quitting I guess it will just get worse.

Posted by: BellaDea

that sucks to hear you go but SS is basically a joke. as stated in the letter, you can't use your personality to sell during SS cause you can't go "off script". Some things that managers have done here is offer incentives to get high scores.... free stuff from the summit web site, paid days off, things like that so that the managers and the employees each get some benefit. course I will openly celebrate the day the SS program dies... then I'll take my ice skates to hell

Posted by: Alfred_Neuman

part of.......if not 99% of the problem for SS is cingulars low ARPU. they want us to somehow sell the hell out of their overpriced, semi not really competitative features.

until cingular increases arpu, or increases real value to customers of these features, dont expect it to die suddenly.

Posted by: ivwshane

Some day carriers will learn that customers will pay for things that they see a value in. Having reps shove features down customers throats maybe a temporary solution but it is ignoring the problem. Cingular and other companies need to invest in the product more and make it more compelling for the consumer.

Posted by: -X-

Quote:

Originally Posted by switchchick

what is p&L? I guess with that they are going to be on our a$$ more & more. We thought there is a high turnover rate with people quitting I guess it will just get worse.

Stores Profit & Loss

Posted by: StattlichPassat

I was just handed 'the script' on Tuesday. Five days to go and I'm gone. I'm at the point now where I'm doing everything I can to schedule late days and hide in the back to avoid my last remaining hours. The last thing I want this late in the game is to be hit with a SS'er and have it kill the manager's paycheck again. Isn't that sad?

Can't wait to start the new job. Did I mention it's not retail, I have an hour off-campus for lunch, leave at 5:00p, and I'll never work another Saturday again?

Posted by: Moto__Man

The Secret shop program is also very big at VZW, it is required to get at least an 85%, if not you have to write up an "action plan" which is a few pags of BS on how you will do better next time, and it effects your manager's bonus..... that being said the only times i was mystery shoped i scored a 95% or better because it was so easy to pick out the mystery shoppers but there were a few times when the scores my co-workers got were deffinately bogus.... i remember one time when the shopper said that they waited and no one was at the kiosk.... the thing is the shoppers for VZW are required to wait 1hr and there was activity on the P.O.S. system during the on hour that the rep supposedly was not there....

Posted by: johngotti

I am defintely on the negative side of most secret shop instances... I have my fare share of perfect scores... and I can see how secret shops due help us to understand and do our job efficiently... it shoudlnt go as far as to hurt the store managers money though... I am all about a write up for someone who gets a measly 75% or some pathetic score like that you probably deserve more... but there one time that I would like to share when I didnt get a perfect score..

We get a bonus from our company and our RAE when we get 100%... one of my secret shops a few months ago I missed a whopping 4 points... failure to demonstrate a feature on the phone...( at this time I was rocking my 7610 and had demonstrated pictures and video with it at the time of sale) but i get counted off for it.... on top of this the Secret Shopper in the notes mentions that I played video on my phone for them....

WTF!~!!! I am sure there are some great secret shoppers out there but there are some brain dead ones out there too.... does Cingular ever bother to look and see how they are doing? A friend of mine used to secret shop all kinds of retail stores... and it was all about his personal time... he didnt really care about what scores he gave.... and this has hardened the way I look at the whole process...

One thing is certain the process needs to be reviewed and done correctly...

Posted by: KaBaL666

in our market, if you are lower than an 85%, you get written up and a visit from district manager scorning you on how your the worst thing to happen to this company ever... but if you get a perfect (like i did last month, and am the first to do it in my store), you might get an email.

Posted by: mamosley

http://secretshopnet.com/cgi-bin/apply.cgi

Posted by: cellboy42

Heres what you do....

We all know when the shop is about to happen.

If you think you are being shopped, turn your sales presentation LITERALLY into an hour and a half dissertation on the history of wireless service, give the customer all the information you have ever been given about your company, introduce them to all of your co-workers and overload them with all the information you can possible remember untill they just stare at you with that empty disconnected look. Make sure you demonstrate every single feature, every PDA device, every accessory, bill station, online account access, prepaid, insurance, referall program, *611, check your minutes, etc. etc. etc. Overpower them, don't let them controll the conversation. Answer every question in full detail, then take controll and lead them away to another area and continue the long drawn out presentation.
You still want to hit all the points of the shop, but really overload the shopper with info. Your co-workers will know what you are doing so they will witness the shop as well.

When the shopper gives you a failing score because you wasted 2 hours of their day...you will have a store full of witnesses, video tape backup of you demonstrating eveeeeeeeerything, and pix and text messages sent from your phone to display phones with time stamps. You can get the score thrown out with more than enough proof that the shopper program is flawed and that no matter how hard you try, you still fail. This will give you co-workers the confidence to fight the program and possibly involve the union.

AFTER ALL.....Is there a Store Manager shop program? A DM shop program? Who is checking these people to make sure they are doing their jobs by the book?

This is your job people. Stop being threatened by your employer. I have never seen a company offer so many ways to fire the one group of people that generate the most income for the company. Wake up!! Organize and put an end to the Secret (excuse to fire people) Shop Program.

Does a garbageperson (who gets paid more that us) get put on corrective action because a lid was left off of a garbage can?

Posted by: ivwshane

I've never seen a shop score overturned or thrown out and I'm sure DM's and above could care less.

Posted by: DruB

okay so i havent read all the thread but most of it is complaining about mystery shops... i know no one likes them and every time the 1st of the month rolls around everyone worries. . .but theres no reason to quit your job because of them. plane and simple, these shops are a part of your job! So why not just live with it. . .Most of us can smell out when we're being shopped, and like cellboy42 said just turn your pitch into what they want to hear. . .no matter where you work, you're going to be evaluated and checked up on somehow, so you should just live with the shopper!

Posted by: ivwshane

Quote:

Originally Posted by DruB

okay so i havent read all the thread but most of it is complaining about mystery shops... i know no one likes them and every time the 1st of the month rolls around everyone worries. . .but theres no reason to quit your job because of them. plane and simple, these shops are a part of your job! So why not just live with it. . .Most of us can smell out when we're being shopped, and like cellboy42 said just turn your pitch into what they want to hear. . .no matter where you work, you're going to be evaluated and checked up on somehow, so you should just live with the shopper!

They don't care that they are getting shopped, they realize it's part of their job, what they are complaining about is the fact that when they do the shop correctly they get dinged for things that they did but the shopper said they didn't do.

I've seen it first hand and watched it happen. When I got shopped I got a decent score and yet I didn't do half the things they said I did (that worked out for me but it illustrates my point), then my assistant manager gets shopped and goes through everything and spent about an hour doing it and get's a horrible score.

There is no point in using a secret shop program if the scores aren't accurately recorded.

Posted by: BellaDea

so true. that's why I don't like this type of program where you have to trust the person's memory. At another place I worked they had video sectret shop so corporate could SEE what you really did and didn't rely on the shopper themselves.

Posted by: StattlichPassat

Quote:

Originally Posted by DruB

Interrogation, threats and undue punishment looming on a monthly basis is not a part of my job. Anymore, that is. Tuesday is my last day, and hopefully I made it out in time before a SS'er got in the door. They aren't the sole reason for me leaving the company, but let's say I wasn't seriously looking for jobs elsewhere until this bullsh*t was ramped up this summer. I throughly enjoyed my job and couldn't have been more thankful for it until this started, but I guess all good things come to an end when they can be too good to be true. Good riddance.

Posted by: jeffro01

I would say that from my experiance with SS's while working for tmo corporate, you are WAY over reacting. It seems to me that you were looking for a reason to get out, and the SS became that reason. I don't dissagree that they are a pain and can be un-fair and inaccurate in their reporting, but they should play only a small role in your job. I am glad you found a better opportunity, thats great, but i don't think your being totally honest with us about your motivation to find this better opportunity. Thats just my humble opinion.

Jeff

Posted by: Alfred_Neuman

Quote:

Originally Posted by New_Medicines

its really sad to see that these stupid subjective secret shops are driving people to quit their jobs. I still think cingular is a great place to work, we are paid well, great benefits and incentives. But cingular is drivin away the best frontline workers in the industry with these stupid pointless secret shops!!

to the "paid well"

Posted by: StattlichPassat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfred_Neuman

to the "paid well"

Depends on your store location and the commission structure. I know a few people who make less than $30k a year. I also know a few who are well over six figures. No joke. I was paid well, but the overall climate was not worth my time any longer in a retail environment. That's not what I went to business school for, and the job market is opening up big time. So I got out.

Posted by: StattlichPassat

And btw, my last day was today. I am officially on holiday until September 19th!