SQM Blogs

A few months ago, my family drove out of town to visit some family friends. It isn't a long drive normally, maybe 45 minutes in good traffic. Unfortunately, we were driving through a pretty severe blizzard like situation...

 

Tags: Mystery Shoppers, SQM Inc., Customer Service, Canadian Tire, Wiper Blades

As warmer weather descends on Toronto I have begun wearing my Danier jacket to work. One of my coworkers noticed my jacket the other day and told me she loved it. This is a little bit ironic since this coworker, let's call her Julie, is always joking about me having terrible style...

 

Tags: SQM Inc., Customer Service, Mystery Shopper, Danier Leather, Leather Jacket

Anyone who has moved before can understand how frustrating and daunting a process it can be. Whether you are moving homes, or businesses, or even if you are just heading to the cottage for the summer; moving can be a torturous experience filled with logistical nightmares...

 

Tags: Mystery Shopping, Quality Control, SQM Inc., Moving, Past Experiences

As Toronto is becoming more and more multicultural, I sometimes wonder if the infrastructure of our grocery stores downtown can really handle the wide variety of products. As many of you know, today is Good Friday for some and for others it is the start of Passover.

If you are Jewish and celebrating Passover you...

Tags: Kosher, Passover, SQM Inc., Quality Control, Mystery Shopping

We all understand that more and more people are using the Internet, On Demand, satellite, and rentals through their cable provider. It seems this is happening more than the old fashion way of buying or renting DVD's and Blu Ray discs. Surprisingly there still are some instances where people want to rent a traditional movie or at least I still do...

Tags: Mystery Shopping, Quality Control, SQM Inc., Bay St Video, Video Rental

I needed a little retail therapy and decided to treat myself to a new top. After checking out a couple different stores I found what I thought was the perfect top. It was turquoise green, a colour I typically I don't wear, but I wanted to try something new...

Tags: Mystery Shopping, Customer Service, SQM Inc., Clothing Store, Sales Associate

I am a bit of a make-up junkie. I don't know when my passion really started. I never wore make-up until I was 17 and even then it was only mascara. In recent years I have begun to spend a lot of money buying good quality products. One of my favourite places to shop for makeup is Sephora...

Tags: Mystery Shopping, SQM Inc., Customer Service, Sephora, Mascara

I recently wrote about loosing my wallet in a Toronto taxi cab. I called a million and one places, hoping to get it back with no luck. I was hoping someone might be kind enough to return my wallet to me, but I had my doubts...

 

Tags: Sensors Quality Managment, SQM Inc., Canada Post, Mystery Shopper, Wallet

One of my coworkers Kevin recently got a gastric bypass surgery. He now eats much smaller portions and gets full faster. For anyone who has had one of these surgeries, I am sure you can understand how challenging it can be to eat out. Many places super-size their plates, offer free refills, and participate in the “all you can eat” concept. Having some self control is key, but I am sure it would be frustrating to pay full price for a buffet or all you can eat, when you are only able to eat one plate of food. People on diets understand this frustration, and if you are on a budget you try to avoid this style of restaurant. But what if you can't avoid it...

 

Tags: Mystery Dining, Mandarin, SQM Inc., Customer Service, Sensors Quality Managment

Hi my name is Leah and I am a Starbucks-aholic. I have been drinking Starbucks religiously for five (5) years now. How, might you ask, did I get here...

Tags: Customer Service, Mystery Dining, Starbucks, SQM Inc., Sensors Quality Managment

As far as I am concerned, it is getting harder and harder to experience good customer service within the Canadian Healthcare system. I am a taxpaying Canadian who finds this a little frustrating.  When I travel abroad and people find out I am Canadian, occasionally I am greeted with a comment about our “free” healthcare and how great it is. While I appreciate the healthcare, and enjoy the security of knowing should anything happen to me I will be taken care of, I resent the customer service, or lack of customer service I am presented with when I use my healthcare system...

Tags: Sensors Quality Managment, SQM Inc., Customer Service, Healthcare, ER

Recently I took my aunt out shopping for a couch. We decided to go to Leon's where she found a couch that was comfortable, in the color that she wanted, and was priced reasonably. We ordered the couch and arranged for the delivery date...

 

Tags: Customer Service, Edy Leon, Leon's, SQM Inc., Sensors Quality Managment

After deciding to redo the driveway and front garden of our house, I had 12 landscaping companies come to my house to quote on a relatively decent sized project (See Part 1). Of the 12, not one company was professional enough to follow-up with me and provide an actual quote...

 

Tags: Land-Con, Landscaping, David Lipton, SQM Inc., Sensors Quality Managment

If you can remember back, just a while ago TTC drivers used to wear special hats, ties, shirts and jackets. I personally felt the uniforms looked really great and made me feel like the drivers took pride in their work. Recently I have seen some of the drivers getting back to their roots by actually sporting their caps and ties. When I see this, I feel more proud to be riding the bus; I sometimes don't even notice the stench of a long day on the other passengers. All of the drivers I have seen wearing the proper hat and tie seem to have more confidence, seem more approachable, and appear to take more joy in their work.  As of late...

 

Tags: Mystery Shopper, Bus Drivers, TTC, SQM Inc., Sensors Quality Managment

Around the holiday season budgets get very tight and ours is no different. No one wants to be a “Scrooge” but sometimes it hard to make a paycheck stretch so we can get everything on the gift list. This holiday season my husband Matt and I decided we were going to try and reign in our spending. Because I am a mom, I still wanted our family to enjoy the season...

Tags: Reimbursement, Mystery Dining, Mystery Shopper, SQM Inc., Sensors Quality Managment

We have all heard about horrible customer service from the customers perspective but what about from the other side. I have been in the hospitality industry for over 5 years serving and bartending and I can say its not always the customer being treated poorly. If I have learned anything while being in this business its that its hard to want to give someone good service when they are treating you poorly...

Tags: Sensors Quality Managment, SQM Inc., Mystery Dining, Bad Customers, Mistreatment

A friend of mine recently got a job at one of the big four consulting firms down town in Toronto. Excited about the new role, and very interested in making a good first impression my friend, let's call him Ben, decided to buy himself a few new suits. Wanting to look sharp he decided to go over to Harry Rosen, knowing he would have a customized experience and the help of a customer service person who would understand how to “dress for the role” at a big four consulting firm...

 

Tags: Tailor, Customer Service, Harry Rosen, SQM Inc., Sensors Quality Managment

A lot of people I know, myself included, regard calling companies about customer service related issues to be dreadful.

As soon as I hear: "Please hold for the next available representative. Your call IS important to us." I tend to hang up, whether it be because I simply don't have time to deal with the apparent wait time or because I feel it shouldn't be a struggle to get what I believe I am entitled to, which is good customer service with a live and (genuine) phone attendant...

 

Tags: Mystery Shopper, Phone Attendant, SQM Inc., Sensors Quality Managment, Customer Service

My motivation to be a businessman is ultimately to make money. I want to make money to support my family, to have a nice home and a car I can enjoy, and to be able to help those in need. When I was younger, I had mentors who I often saw opening their homes and their wallets to others. It inspired me to do the same; to be a responsible businessman and to support charitable efforts...

 

Tags: Sensors Quality Managment, SQM Inc., David Lipton, Philanthropy, Canada

McDonalds is launching a new ad campaign focusing on the quality and freshness of the ingredients used to make their most popular items. This is one of the many ways the McDonalds chain has been changing. Over the past few years they have been remodeling their stores with flat screen tvs, larger lounge chairs and an updated décor. Having recently been in one of the renovated locations, the setting is more mature...

 

Tags: Atmosphere, McDonalds, Mystery Dining, SQM Inc., Sensors Quality Managment