What Is Mystery Shopping

Mystery Shopper As a Solution To Evaluate Customer Experience

Company’s success depends on many factors. Today we will talk about customer service, which quality contributes to the advanced business growth.

Poor customer care is a basic problem in service sector. The leaders should bare in mind that good service becomes a key element for the formation of competitive strategy. If a consumer does not receive VIP treatment, he might leave you for competitors. Organizations that place a premium on service, benefit a constant influx of new visitors and increase of loyal clients, which results a continuous profit enhancement.

The point is that the quality of service and staff work must be constantly monitored. One of the methods, providing monitoring compliance with all service standards, is a ‘mystery shopping’ program.

Who Is Mystery Shopper?

Frontline managers should know how their staff serves clients, whether services are provided competently, and how staff members behave when their bosses are not watching them.

Such market research method as Mystery Shopping helps to collect specific information about products and services that are needed to measure. It is logical to conclude that this program is reasonable for the firms that deal with customers. The survey is performed by skilled representatives of target audience, who are called Mystery shoppers. They visit verified store units, online stores, restaurants or other places as ordinary clients and act in accordance with the previously agreed scenario. Secret shoppers seek advice on a particular product or service, make a purchase or obtain a service, staying unrevealed.

Why Applying To Secret Buyers If There Are Real Customer Feedbacks and Reviews?

Of course, you could evaluate your activity basing on customer reviews only. However, you cannot be sure if those comments are true or competitors’ intrigue. Not all feedbacks are helpful. Besides, a client may be dissatisfied due to his high expectations.

In light of this, there should be no questions left, why companies hire mystery shoppers. The advantageous feature of this method is that a secret buyer can be instructed how to act and what to pay attention to. Usually mystery shoppers are given a checklist to verify specific conditions.

On your request, secret shoppers will gather and describe “natural” observations as casual visitors, or fulfill tasks such as purchasing items/ returning goods/ contacting consultants via e-mails or making calls/ being a problem customer/ checking security work/ instigating sales assistants to cheat, etc.

Procedure of Mystery Shopping Technique

As any market research, mystery shopping approach consists of investigation and analyses phase. Two main stages of this practice include:

1 Visitors playing roles.

Secret clients inspect:

• appearance of sales assistant/ waiter/administrator;
• state of a unit (condition, cleanliness, position and availability of goods);
• service level performed by staff members (the courtesy of communication, completeness of consultations, speed of service, existence of mandatory phrases or actions on the employee’s part).

Mystery shoppers make audio records of conversations, take photos of items and sales area, keep cash receipt as proof of their acquisition. All information collected is to be fixed in special questionnaire.

2 Marketing specialists receive and study data gathered by mystery shoppers. Such analyses helps to detect seller’s weaknesses and make suggestions how to avoid them.

Conducting Mystery Shopping Investigation

You can conduct such checks on your own. But we believe this program should be performed by marketing professionals, as they provide objective information along with action plan.

As a member of mystery shopping providers association since 2005, our Scheduling Worldwide agency administers about 200 programs per year, designing competent research for more than 100 clients.

If you need to evaluate your employees, find out strengths and weaknesses in your company’s service in order to improve its level, we invite you to check out how you can make your business smarter with us. Just follow the link and get benefit from our professional support!