Portfolio Project

EDUC 765: Trends and Issues in Instructional Design

By: Hailey Neumueller

Submitted October 16, 2015

PROJECT PROPOSAL MODULE 2

Project Title
Solving the Mystery about Mystery Shops: Ways to Incorporate Suggestive
Selling

Sponsoring Organization
Buffalo Wild Wings, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW) is a casual dining restaurant, and according to
their website, our restaurants create a welcoming neighborhood
atmosphere which appeals to sports fans and families alike. We
differentiate our restaurants by the social environment we create and the
connection we make with our Team Members, Guests, and the local
community. The Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Eau Claire has over sixty
television screens that project various sports events as well as trivia. The
first Buffalo Wild Wings was founded in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio, and has
over 1,000 stores in the United States, and their mission is to WOW people
every day.

Project Description
Part of the mission statement is dedicated to excellence, and part of that
excellence is the responsibility of the team members. One aspect of this is
through suggestive sells of the products that BWW has to offer. When a
server interacts with a table, he or she needs to incorporate five aspects into
their script: specific beverage, appetizer, specific sauce, limited-time offer
(LTO) item, and specific dessert. This ensures that the customer is fully
aware of all of the items that they can choose, and it opens the opportunities
for more sales for the restaurant. However, incorporating all of these aspects
can seem overwhelming or inconvenient for both the server and the guest,
so it does not always get incorporated into the dialogue.
Every month there are corporate mystery shops that occur, and the
restaurant gets evaluated on those aspects as well as other elements of the
dining experience. Our restaurant is expected to perform at or above an 80,
and lately, the scores have been decreasing. A decrease in score can lead to
measures taken such as termination for the employee. Because of this, this
training will include:
Learning all of the steps to a proper script for servers
Opportunities for incorporating the suggestive sells naturally into
dialogue
Practicing different script options with coworkers

Aim
Improve customer service and increase the value of our employees by
educating employees about the proper mystery stop steps and improve the
average corporate mystery shop performance from 74 to 80.

Target Audience
The target audience will be new employees who are undergoing the training
process as well as current employees who do not pass corporate mystery
shops.

Delivery Options
This will be a blended instruction with a combination of online learning and
face-to-face interaction. This method was chosen because in order to
correctly implement the material learned online, there needs to be an option
to practice the information learned with another person.

FRONT-END ANALYSIS: INSTRUCTIONAL NEED MODULE 3

Instructional Need
There is an existing performance problem by employees. Currently, the
average score for a mystery shop is at a 74, and the goal score for our
restaurant is 80. If this score is not reached, there can be consequences for
the restaurant; for example, our restaurant is a training store, which means
that Managers-in-Training train at our restaurant, so if the score continues to
stay below an 80, that privilege can be lost. At an employee level, employees
could be terminated if they consistently fail mystery shops. Managers are
also disciplined if they fail his or her portion of the shop.
From an employees perspective, incorporating all of the five suggestive sells
can be tedious, inconvenient, or robotic when it comes to the delivery.
Employees also think that it is inconvenient for the guest to listen to the
delivery, especially when they may already know what they want to drink
and eat. Sometimes it is clear that the guest does not listen to the delivery.
Also, there is a lack of follow through with management, so employees have
the impression that mystery shops have no authentic repercussions.
Based on experience and interaction with fellow employees, this problem can
be solved via an instructional intervention. New employees, especially new
servers, are trained on the policy of suggestive selling, but since servers are
trained by different trainers, there can be a lack of consistency between
trainers, and the suggestive sells can be lost in transfer from learning to
delivery. If all employees went through the same training on different
methods of incorporating suggestive selling into their delivery, discrepancies
can be eliminated. This can also help improve the quality of employees and
help employees to take more pride in their role, and managers can
incorporate more follow-through.

FRONT-END ANALYSIS: LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS

MODULE 3
Learner Analysis
Primary Audience
New servers
Servers who have not passed mystery shops (re-training)
Cashiers/greeters
Secondary Audience
WCT trainers
Hosts
Other servers who want to refresh their knowledge
General Learner Characteristics
Ages: 18-29
Gender: 70% female, 30% male
Education: high school through college diploma
Work experience: One week to five years
Entry Characteristics
Prerequisite skill and knowledge:
o All are familiar with mystery shops and suggestive selling
o Most are aware that mystery shops occur at the end of each
month
Attitudinal and motivational characteristics:
o All recognize that incorporating suggestive selling is part of
their job requirements
o Not all are motivated to incorporate everything into their
script because they are afraid to inconvenience the guest
o Some learners will not be motivated to complete the course
and will not see the relevance
Prior experience:
o Most servers have had experience in interacting with guests
and have their own way of incorporating suggestive sells into
their script

Contextual Analysis
Orienting Context

Servers goals: completing the course; incorporating different

techniques for suggestive selling
Perceived utility: Will be reluctant because of the irrelevance of
previous meetings and trainings not all employees take meetings
seriously and can be easily distracted by each other
Perception of accountability: Not concerned with accountability there
can be a lack of follow-through and discipline with management
Potential misconceptions: Servers may not see the relevance in
mystery shops or think they know all of the steps that have to be taken
in suggestive selling

Instructional Context
Scheduling: Would need to be a weekend morning before the
restaurant opens, between 9-10:00am
Lighting: No issue there are shades and blinds that can be controlled
Noise: No source of noise that would distract
Temperature: Can be controlled
Seating: Tables can be moved for small-group activities; servers can
also sit in booths
Accommodations: No hotel accommodations needed; breakfast can be
provided for employees
Equipment: Screens and projectors are available; microphones are also
available
Transportation: Employees have easy access since they already work
at the facility where the training will be held
Transfer Context
Since employees have to suggestive sell with every table, the skills
learned are easily transferrable.
Employees will have constant opportunities for practice because they
interact with guests and new tables often as part of their job.
Managers can create incentive programs for continued correct
performance of suggestive selling; managers also have mini mystery
shops that are conducted.

INSTRUCTIONAL IMPACT BASED UPON LEARNER

CHARACTERISTICS
Application of Learning Theories
As employees of a corporate restaurant, we have attended trainings that
have felt very corporate. We have had to watch videos that are massproduced and not authentic, so the meetings in the past have seemed
irrelevant. Because of this, the employees will need to see the relevance of
the course immediately, so the delivery of the material is crucial. It needs to
be at a simple, realistic, peer-to-peer level and not at a corporate
restaurant level. The benefits of the course, as well as concrete
repercussions for failing mystery shops, will need to be stated up-front so
they will see even more relevance in the course. Since the target audience
can be easily distracted, the material needs to be delivered in pieces, where
it is broken up by lecture followed by immediate practice and group work.
There cannot be too much direct instruction. Since they are independent
learners that enjoy socializing with each other, there needs to be a
constructivist approach. They need time to brainstorm their own ideas about
incorporating suggestive sells as well as time to share information. From
there, the whole group can come up with various strategies. That will give
them ownership of their learning and make the experience more authentic;
therefore, the skills will transfer easier.

Application of Motivational Theories

The motivational theory employed is to be as realistic and peer-to-peer as
possible. For this particular project, the audience is very important because
for most of the servers, this is not their full-time job nor will it be their job
long into the future. Therefore, motivation may be limited. If we meet them
at their level and provide the objectives up front about the course, that may
help motivation. The Keller model would apply best to this situation. Interest
will be captured, and then we discuss the relevance by reminding employees
of mystery shops and the consequences if mystery shops are not passed.
This will segue into the expectancy of success, and then once the course is
implemented and the employees perform, there can be extrinsic rewards
that follow.

Impact of a Diverse Audience on Instruction

There is not much diversity in the primary target audience; the majority of
the employees are Caucasian. However, as a team and as part of the course,
we can look at different cultures that are represented in Eau Claire and
brainstorm ideas about how to address the cultural differences that are
present, and how they can be incorporated in delivery of the suggestive
6

sells. Also, the material delivered needs to stay direct and relevant and
needs to closely mirror real-life situations.

TASK/GOAL/PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS MODULE 5

INSTRUCTIONAL NEED
There is an existing performance problem by employees. Currently, the
average score for a mystery shop is at a 74, and the goal score for our
restaurant is 80. If this score is not reached, there can be consequences for
the restaurant; for example, our restaurant is a training store, which means
that Managers-in-Training train at our restaurant, so if the score continues to
stay below an 80, that privilege can be lost. At an employee level, employees
could be terminated if they consistently fail mystery shops. Managers are
also disciplined if they fail his or her portion of the shop.
Based on experience and interaction with fellow employees, this problem can
be solved via an instructional intervention. New employees, especially new
servers, are trained on the policy of suggestive selling, but since servers are
trained by different trainers, there can be a lack of consistency between
trainers, and the suggestive sells can be lost in transfer from learning to
delivery. If all employees went through the same training on different
methods of incorporating suggestive selling into their delivery, discrepancies
can be eliminated. This can also help improve the quality of employees and
help employees to take more pride in their role, and managers can
incorporate more follow-through.

GOAL ANALYSIS
Step 1 - Original goal:
Increase score on Buffalo Wild Wings mystery shop from 74 to 80 with
improved performance of incorporating the five categories of
suggestive selling.
Step 2
Identify the five suggestive sell items

Demonstrate knowledge of those items

Incorporate those five items in dialogue with guests

Perform suggestive selling with every table

Is attentive to the uniqueness of each table and is able to differentiate

approach to suggestive selling

Step 3
Knowledge

Identify the five suggestive sell categories

Demonstrate knowledge of at least four items in each category

Performance
Incorporate an item for each category in dialogue with guests

Is attentive to the uniqueness of each table and is able to differentiate

approaches to suggestive selling

Perform suggestive selling with every table

Step 4 - Second Refinement

The employee is able to define the five suggestive sell categories
(specific beverage, appetizer, LTO item, sauce, and dessert).

The employee is able to identify at least four different items in each

category.

When interacting with guests at a table, the employee will incorporate

an item for each category in his/her dialogue.

When interacting with guests, the employee is attentive to the

uniqueness of each table and is able to differentiate approaches to
incorporating the suggestive sells.

The employee uses the five categories of suggestive selling with every
table.

Step 4 - Final Ranking

In order to achieve the goal, the employee must have knowledge of the five
categories of suggestive selling and know different items in each category so
the experience for each table can be personalized. He or she needs to be
able to determine the needs of each table and tailor the suggestive selling to
those needs. The employee also needs to incorporate the suggestive sells at
each table. Therefore, after some goal refining and combining, the final
ranking is as follows:

The employee is able to define the five suggestive sell categories

(specific beverage, appetizer, LTO item, sauce, and dessert) and is able
to identify at least four different items in each category.

When interacting with guests, the employee is attentive to the

uniqueness of each table and is able to differentiate approaches to
incorporating the suggestive sells.

With every table, when interacting with guests, the employee will
incorporate an item for each category in his/her dialogue.

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES MODULE 5

Project (Instructional) Goal
Employees will demonstrate knowledge of the five categories of suggestive
selling and incorporate that knowledge to improve the overall mystery shop
score from 74 to 80.

Terminal Objectives and Enabling Objectives

The employee is able to define the five suggestive sell categories and
will be able to identify at least four items in each category Cognitive
(knowledge)
o When asked, be able to recall the five categories of suggestive
selling (cognitive)
o Memorize and recall four different menu items for each category
(cognitive)

When greeting and interacting with guests at a table, the employee

will incorporate suggestive selling with every table Cognitive
(application); Affective
o Develop a script or dialogue to use with guests (cognitive) that is
unique to the employee
o When greeting a table, demonstrate that script with guests at
the table to incorporate the five items needed in a suggestive
sell (cognitive)
o Understand the importance of suggestive selling by incorporating
the five items at every table, no matter the attitude of the
employee or the guest (affective)

When interacting with guests, the employee is attentive to the

uniqueness of each table and is able to differentiate approaches to
incorporating the suggestive sells Cognitive (knowledge,

10

comprehension, application, analysis); Psychomotor (imitation,

manipulation, precision)
o When interacting with guests, be able to identify and distinguish
different attitudes of guests that could affect performance of
suggestive selling (cognitive)
o Given a real-world scenario with different types of guests, assess
the situation to differentiate and incorporate different methods
(psychomotor)

ENABLING OBJECTIVES MATRIX & SUPPORTING CONTENT

MODULE 6
Solving the Mystery about Mystery Shops: Ways to Incorporate
Suggestive Selling
Terminal Objective: When greeting and interacting with guests at a table,
the employee will incorporate suggestive selling with every table
Pre-instructional Strategy: Pre-test followed by discussion of pre-test
results; overview of the objectives
Enabling
Objective

Develop a
script or
dialogue to
use with
guests that
is unique to
the
employee

Level on
Blooms
Taxonomy*

Fact,
concept,
principle,
rule,
procedure,
interperso
nal, or
attitude?
Knowledge,
Procedure,
Comprehensio Interpersona
n, Application l

Learner
Activity

Delivery
Method

Write a script
that they can
use when
interacting
with guests;
WCTs and
managers can
assess and

Mini-lecture for
content, selfpaced, small
group

11

evaluate

When
greeting a
table, use
that script
with guests
at the table
to
incorporate
the five
items
needed in a
suggestive
sell
Understand
the
importance
of
suggestive
selling by
incorporatin
g the five
items at
every table,
no matter
the attitude
of the
employee or
the guest

Knowledge,
Interpersona
Comprehensio l
n, Application,
Analysis

Practice script Small group

with group
discussion
members;
other
members can
indicate where
the five
categories and
items are for
practice

Knowledge,
Attitude,
Comprehensio Interpersona
n, Application, l
Analysis,
Synthesis,
Evaluation

Different
scenarios for
different types
of guests
could be
prepared
ahead of time.
Servers draw a
card and role
play to
another
server. The
server then
practices their
script in that
particular
scenario.

Small group
discussion or
group
presentations

REFERENCES

12

Adult Learners. (2015). Retrieved from

http://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/tls/course-design/instructionaldesign/adult-learners
Clark, D. (2015, September 22). Performance and Learning Objectives in
Instructional Design. Retrieved from
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/isd/develop_objective.html
Culatta, R. (2015). Cognitive Load Theory (John Sweller). Retrieved from
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/cognitive-load.html
Culatta, R. (2015). Component Display Theory (David Merrill). Retrieved from
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/component-display.html
Culatta, R. (2015). Conditions of Learning (Robert Gagne). Retrieved from
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/conditions-learning.html
Culatta, R. (2015). Motivation. Retrieved from
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/concepts/motivation.html
How to Write Program Objectives/Outcomes. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://assessment.uconn.edu/docs/HowToWriteObjectivesOutcomes.pdf
Learning Theories. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/idtrends/four/ID_compariso
n.htm
Lee, H.-S., & Lee, S.-Y. (n.d.). Dick and Carey Model. Retrieved from
http://www.umich.edu/~ed626/Dick_Carey/dc.html
Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2013). Designing
Effective Instruction. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

13

14