Where are HOED’s offices located?
Our offices are located in Sydney (head office), the Gold Coast and Auckland, New Zealand. Our account managers travel where required.
Does HOED have international representation?
HOED is a member of the IMSA (International Mystery Shopping Alliance) consisting of like minded companies working to manage international programs but maintain local knowledge. Some examples of programs are Mobil, Nuance and Louis Vuitton.
Is the program flexible?
Programs are tailored to suit a client’s needs and can change quickly to suit ongoing requirements, eg monthly promotions etc. Questionnaire changes can be made during the program but will affect the historical data integrity. New, relocated and closed sites can be confirmed throughout the program.
Does HOED have shoppers in all regions?
HOED have shoppers in all states covering metropolitan and regional areas. We are constantly recruiting shoppers in all locations and will specifically target areas for clients if shoppers are not available.
How can management and staff make use of the results?
To assist stores/front line staff utilise the mystery shopping questionnaire/information from the shopper, HOED developed the Plan For Action. The Plan for Action is an attachment to the stores Customer Service Survey and will act as an agenda for the store team to discuss their Customer Service Skills.
The benefits of The Plan for Action
• Encourage discussion of Customer Service standards.
• Identify areas of opportunity.
• Encourages the acknowledgement of success within the store team.
• Ensures that every Mystery Shopping survey undertaken produces a positive and cumulative result.
Do you provide any other services?
HOED’s core business is running and managing mystery shopping programs. HOED also conducts Store Conversion Rate studies, Store Traffic Survey and Retail is Detail audits.
HOED also belongs to the STW Communications Group of companies. Within the STW group, our clients are able to access specialists with the necessary marketing, research and communications skills to complement your in-house resources.  For many projects HOED has worked in partnership with STW to supplement client Customer Experience programs to provide services such as Sales Training, Incentive Planning and Communication plans. They can assist you in meeting your objectives in these areas.
How many HOED shoppers are available?
Currently HOED has a database of over 7,500 active trained shoppers. We know exactly how many shoppers are available to work in the clients selected postcodes.
How does HOED recruit shoppers?
Shoppers are regularly recruited via the internet, word of mouth by current shoppers, local papers, TV and a variety of other mediums.
Does HOED profile shoppers?
HOED Mystery Shoppers are profiled when signing up. Shoppers can then be further profiled / recruited for specialised assignments eg to meet demographics of a product enquiry, to meet specific client requirements etc.
How are shoppers trained?
All shoppers are provided with HOED’s training manual which must be read and completed before they commence assignments. New shoppers are contacted before they complete their first assignment to ensure they understand all requirements of mystery shopping. Surveys completed by the shopper are read and assessed by HOED Quality Control personnel on an ongoing basis. The shopper may be contacted by Quality Control for clarification of comments on their experience at any time.
How do shoppers retain the information during their visits?
Shoppers are trained to plan and prepare for their assignments. Training on how to conduct the visit is included in the training manual. Shoppers are instructed to write notes immediately after each visit, but not within sight of the business visited. This will help them to recall details when filling in the online questionnaire at home. Notes are to be kept for at least three (3) months if further clarification is required. Additional briefing notes or training may be provided for specialised programs.
How does HOED check shopper integrity?
HOED continually monitors shopper performance. Every survey is read and checked by our experienced Quality Control team. Every client is assured that the analysis they receive is accurate, unbiased and consistent. HOED has been accredited by IQCA for many years and abides by the principles of the IQCA system. Spot checks are made with receipts or landmarks.
If there is a query or objection about an individual report what happens?
HOED provides an email query service for each client to deal with any queries or complaints arising from the program. Time frames are negotiated. By allowing queries the program will achieve greater “Buy In” by the team members. Queries received will be acknowledged and answered via email usually in a 5-10 working day turnaround. A time frame is suggested for queries to be reviewed, usually no more than 1 month after the mystery shopping survey has been completed and reported.
Do you track queries?
The query service allows issues to be documented and can be reviewed at strategy meetings. Queries are tracked and a report can be provided with a breakdown and explanation of query results when required. The query report ensures program improvement and highlights any anomalies.