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    Aug 20, 2015
    Prepare to Win. Perform to Expand.
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    Mystery shopping is a tool used by private and public organizations to measure the quality of customer service, operations, safety, contract compliance, and the overall experience of the everyday customer.

    Most people think this tool is only used for retail and restaurant businesses, but nowadays it is used by the government sector (Federal, State, and Local), transit agencies, parking garages, airports, taxis bureaus, colleges, and airlines just to name a few.

    Today, the transportation industry is using “mystery shoppers" to ride buses, trains, subways, and even taxis with one goal in common: Generate a positive customer experience in public transportation. Most of the time these mystery shoppers/riders are from a third party contractor with industry specific experience and they are secretly scheduled to board the routes the transit agency picked beforehand,  making observations and gathering all the data possible about customer service, safety, appearance, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, operations, and overall experience.

    "Our overall goal is to monitor our operators - like a quality assurance check," said Houston METRO's Senior Director of transportation. "We'll have eyes and ears out on our service from an objective point of
    view, so we can monitor where we need to do some actual work."


    When a transit agency like METRO sets a Mystery Shopping program in place, there are important variables to consider like the size of the fleet, routes, time of the day to evaluate (morning/evening rush hour), etc. A primary key value to consider during the mystery rider observation is safety. Safety concerns  include running a red light; not following speed limits; a bumpy ride; or hard turns where passengers feel like they're about to fall off a seat. Another advantage of using Mystery shoppers/riders is that the transit agency can compare the hard data vs customer complaints.  

    "It's to pinpoint what is really happening. Our main goal is to see a decline in the number of complaints that come in," said Marie Turner, operations support analyst. "We want the public to see a difference."

    Kim Wells,manager of customer service at Houston METRO, says using mystery riders is a great tool. "If you use it like in your retail environment - to improve the quality of service you offer - why wouldn't you do it in the transit industry?" Houston METRO is not the only transit agency doing this. Chicago Transit Agency  started a "mystery shopper" program back in 2008. They asked their mystery shoppers to evaluate key values such as providing on time, safe, clean, courteous, and efficient service.

    The use of technology used by Covert Travelers, mystery shopping and customer experience programs brings to the transit industry a whole new concept and opportunity to improve their customer service, safety and operations with a real time  feedback from front line operations.
    GovPartners specializes in customer experience management. Service offerings include mystery shops/rides, passenger/customer surveys and competitive intelligence. If you’d like to know more about our services and customer experience solutions, please e-mail inquiries to info2@govpartners.com or visit our website at www.govpartners.com I www.coverttravelers.com

           
     
    A successful company must have the ability to understand and effectively respond to the customer’s needs and concerns. Sales is often perceived to be mostly about trying to convince the customer that they need the product/service. Excellent customer service starts by knowing your customer and providing a beneficial solution to their needs.  Supply to the demand, don't demand to supply.
    - Cynthia Karnik
    Customer Experience Officer


     

    Apple working on designs for a car, could start testing soon

    China Eastern uses safety video to warn about battery charger use

    September
     

     

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    Aug 25, 2015

    BRAMBLETON, Va. (Aug. 25, 2015) ─ With a call to U.S. hotels to get their share of government conference and meeting business, tempered by a warning that they must comply with federal labor, tax and contracting protocols, Federal Hospitality Solutions today announced a five-part webinar series outlining a cradle-to-grave approach to federal procurement.

    Elizabeth Perrin, the company's chief solutions officer, said the webinar series is designed to help hotels, destinations and conference facilities understand how to comply with federal procurement regulations and successfully identify, bid, execute and invoice federal contracts for individual travelers, meetings, training sessions and conferences.

    "The critical need for federal procurement education within the hospitality industry becomes more evident with each news report of overcharges and other contract violations," she said. "Hospitality professionals need to understand the big picture of federal contracts, including areas outside of their individual job responsibilities."

    The webinar series, Federal Procurement Sales Cycle, will cover representations and certifications, state and federal business opportunities, the federal bid process, federal contracting and program implementation and billing and records retention.

    Sessions will be offered Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning next month. The Tuesday series will be held Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29 and Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day. The Wednesday series will be held Sept. 9, 16, 23 and 30 and Oct. 7 from 1-2:30 p.m. each day. Each session will include 60 minutes of formal instruction and 30 minutes for questions.

    To register, go to www.federalhospitality.com/registration/.

    Perrin (pictured right) has 30 years' experience in government and military, including positions with American Airlines, BCD Travel, Dolce Hotels and Resorts and Courtesy Associates. She is an adjunct faculty member with the Society of Government Meeting Professionals and has addressed conferences sponsored by SGMP, the Destination Marketing Association International and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International.

    For more information about Federal Hospitality Solutions and its training, consulting and webinar services, go to www.federalhospitality.com. Reference Article

     

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    Aug 27, 2015
     
    Covert Travelers HeaderGovPartners
    Prepare to Win. Perform to Expand. ™
    Taking the Mystery Out Of Customer Satisfaction, One Trip at a Time. ™


    44927 GEORGE WASHINGTON BLVD., SUITE 230
    ASHBURN, VA 20147
    PHONE: (571) 252-3868
    www.govpartners.com
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    GovPartners Acquires New Contract with The Virginia Lottery

    Ashburn, VA (August 20, 2015) – GovPartners, LLC (GovPartners) a leading provider of complete Customer Experience Management solutions, today announced that has been awarded with the “VIP Experience and Travel Support” contract from the Virginia Lottery. The contract requires GovPartners to facilitate the booking of trips and VIP experiences for Virginia Lottery winners. GovPartners will work with the Virginia Lottery to plan, develop itineraries, and execute VIP experiences for Lottery winners. “We are extremely excited to work with the Virginia Lottery and provide support to its winners.  We look forward to enhancing their recompenses by providing memorable travel experiences,” said Cynthia Karnik, GovPartners CEO.

    About GovPartners
    Founded in 2009, GovPartners, a certified LDBE and SWaM company, specializes in Customer Experience Management solutions providing travel service solutions, mystery shops/rides, passenger/customer surveys, competitive intelligence, complete acquisition management, and contract compliance services. GovPartners currently serves transportation industry clients that represent some of the most innovative and successful customer-focused organizations competing in the marketplace. Their transportation focused experience management solutions deliver value to companies in need of administrative and management support services. For more information about GovPartners, visit our websites at http://www.govpartners.com andhttp://www.coverttravelers.com
     
    About the Virginia Lottery
    When it comes to education, the Virginia Lottery is game.  The Lottery generates more than $1.4 million per day for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. Operating entirely on revenue from the sale of Lottery products, the Virginia Lottery generated nearly $534 million for Virginia’s public schools in Fiscal Year 2015.

    For more information please contact:
    GOVPARTNERS, LLC. – Elizabeth Montes de Oca, Information Analyst
    44927 GEORGE WASHINGTON BLVD. SUITE 230
    ASHBURN, VIRGINIA 20147
    Phone: (571) 252-3868 Email: info2@govpartners.com
     
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