Re: Funny thing is...

In Reply to: Re: Funny thing is... posted by Homebrew on November 09, 2010 at 06:59:27:

I concede there's always room for improvement . . . even the rep's job. That said, there's a 60+ page Rep Manual every rep carries (or should carry) to every contest, that covers every reasonably conceivable situation that might arise. Is it "best practice?" I dunno, but it's the guidance we've been given. Ergo, someone in authority at some time thought it represented "best practice." Unfortunately, though, reps cannot be everywhere all the time . . . like a teacher patroling the classroom aisles during a final exam. All teams are given tel. numbers to call in case issues need attention. Toward that end, I try to give my rep business card (containing my full contact info) to every team I visit while handing out turn-in boxes. In 4-5 years, and upwards of 1,000 cards handed out, I never have received a late night call reporting anything. So, what's a guy to do . . . stay onsite all night roaming the cook sites?! That's why there's on-site security. As stated earlier, I know there always is room for improvement, but, what, specifically, would that be? But then, maybe our few known issues here on the East Coast indicate that we're "doing it right" and that the genesis for the secret shopper policy is somewhere else. If so, the entire rep corps is being "punished" for the sins of a few. I dunno!

Finally, the "secret shopper" euphemism is "spin," and believe it should be called what it really is . . . "Quality Control" or "Quality Assurance." One unanticipated side affect will be that the mere knowledge of such stealth scrutiny can be counterproductive. It might have many reps second-guessing everything they do for fear of doing it "wrong." Consequently, things will take longer than they should. All this said, I've got nothing to hide, so bring'em on. JMHO and YMMV. Good Q'en On Ya'. John

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