jock

Spy is maybe a bit strong..but wondered if BA have a department that fly on other carriers to see wot they're doing or not doing so as to build a better product? How good would that job be. Paying you to fly in all classes trying out your competitors wears...I wonder if these employees also hold status so they can report on lounges etc...

BLHD

I think you have been watching too many films...

Jon Baker

Well they certainly should....knowing your competition's offerings is an important part of any business.....

simons1

I'm sure they do experience other airline propositions.

Doc Savage

"Shaken, not stirred...."

AtlanticX

Knowing your position in regards to the competition and how your product compares is usually one of the responsibilities of the marketing department.

I imagine they have a variety of sources for their information. I think more typically they just rely on reports of survey companies and keeping up to date with the trade magazines, rather than directly booking "spy" flights. Although they might check out the competition directly on occasion, for obvious reasons they wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on that.

henkybaby

I would be surprised if BA did not have 'secret shoppers' on their own flights as well as the competition's....

Sixth Freedom

Imagine finding that the next stage in the programme is to mystery shop LHR-DOH-PER ... in Y ... on QR's 9-abreast 787 ...

JAXBA

There used to be a form on the company intranet - 'have you flown with a competitor?' asking about the service and product, what the employee liked/disliked. Completely voluntary to fill out, wasn't even widely promoted or anything. The form was there if you wanted to use it basically.

Don't know if the form is still there or used. I think I filled it once after flying on B6, not a direct BA competitor of course but I wanted to feedback some B6 positives I thought BA should adopt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by henkybaby

I would be surprised if BA did not have 'secret shoppers' on their own flights

Yes they do.

UKtravelbear

Surely all they have to do is read flyer talk!! A lot cheaper than actually flying.

Mind it would soon drive them mad what with all the contradictory demands let alone the complaints - and that's just the BA board let alone reading any of the others!

Dean Cooperfield_West

I doubt it. You can learn more by reading trip reports on Flyertalk than you can employing secret shoppers. Secret shoppers are only individuals who may or may not have an eye for detail. The best secret shoppers are the most loyal customers who have experienced it all and have an interest in improving the company. Average Joe who hardly travels BA is not going to be bothered about writing up a good report; s/he only wants the free flight and the money.

As someone who has had a job reading the reports of these secret shoppers you would be amazed at how many secret shopper reports read:

(this one for a restaurant with a theatre experience) I liked my experience as it was fun. The food was very nice and the staff members serving me were friendly. It was better than I expected. As for improvements I would suggest serving people quicker and having the menus look different because I don't like the colours on them. The food was all very nice, much better than other food I have eaten.

As you can imagine it would continue like that in one, big paragraph. Negative reports were not much better:

(for a first class train trip) I did not like my trip because the carriage was very loud and children were noisy. The train left late and the staff were rude. I asked for a coffee but it was delivered after 10 minutes because apparently there was a fault with the machine. this is untrue because the man next to me had a coffee before me. I was offered food but the sandwich selection was not great; there was nothing I liked. I had a chocolate bar and an apple instead.

TL;DR

Secret shoppers are mostly illiterate, not objective, do not give good feedback, and cost more than they are worth. Secret shoppers only really exist in restaurants and other select environments when staff reaction needs to be tested. Even then you are lucky if someone writes a decent report.

Oaxaca

That's one mystery solved, I wondered why WW was sitting next to me with a notebook and a scowl on his face on my last U2 flight...

Well exactly, people always seem to assume that mystery shopping will be pointy end, Michelin 3 star restaurants etc...

spellinn

That's rather a massive generalisation!

Sounds like whichever company provided your MS did not screen shoppers effectively or reject poorly written reports.

I do a fair bit of MS and take pride in providing detailed reports that can be used by management to genuinely improve their business and/or staff training.

Regards


Neil

LondonAndy

No, it's not. Having been at an event on Friday that Sir Richard was speaking at, we were reminded of the dirty tricks engaged in by BA, which included hiring private investigators to go through rubbish bins. OK, not James Bond type spying, but still well within the dictionary definition "a person employed by a government or other organization to secretly obtain information on an enemy or competitor".

henkybaby

What I read is not what I would expect from a 'secret shopper'... According to a carefully selected list of scenarios they 'create' problems and have to evaluate the handling of those problems. Real secret shoppers are industry professionals and able to base their judgement against standards or SOPs for either the client or the industry itself.

What you provided sounds more like a preschool essay on a field trip. As you also find them expensive, maybe you should find a different company... @:-)