CONCEPT OF MYSTERY SHOPPING IN BRIEF

Mystery Shopping is a term that refers to the process of assessing the performance of your employees from the point of view of the average educated consumer. Mystery Shopping is the one process that measures customer service through the customer’s eyes. The programs utilize actual customer experiences to measure and compare service levels, spot trends, and monitor location progress.

Trained Mystery Shoppers pose as potential customers in order to provide you with an objective view of your customer service and determine how closely your employees are following the training you have provided. The employee is completely unaware of the mystery shopper's true intentions and therefore the counter staff/salesperson gives them the same service they provide to the majority of their customers.

The mystery shopper will then complete a customized questionnaire and write a detailed report on the entire shopping experience, enabling you to better interpret how your average consumer is being serviced.
This gives you and your employees, the opportunity to improve. Mystery shopping is the only practical method to objectively measure the effectiveness and longevity of a company's customer service levels and training programs

LINKING TRAINING AND INCENTIVES TO MYSTERY SHOPPING

The most important part of having a mystery shopping program is to use the results in the most constructive manner possible. Mystery shopping alone cannot improve customer service, or sales. It is important that the results be analyzed and used to create training/coaching opportunities. Mystery shopping programs with incentives attached can be far more beneficial. Linking mystery shopping results to bonuses, prizes or other incentive programs will keep the importance of the mystery shopping program at the forefront.

Remember that Improvements in customer service techniques are directly associated with improvements in sales figures. Close analysis and follow up coaching of customer service techniques will improve customer satisfaction and consequently, improve sales figures and profits.

You and your associates have spent a lot of time, energy and money to develop your training program and have already determined what behaviors will lead to the most satisfied customers and the most sales. But are the front line staff utilizing these behaviors?

MYSTERY SHOPPING GIVES YOU :

• The opportunity to monitor how many of the skills in your training program are being practiced regularly by your staff.
  
  
• Mystery Shopping gives you the opportunity to see which of your staff are practicing these techniques.
  
  
• Mystery shopping gives you the opportunity to see which areas of your training program have become effective routines techniques and which have not.
  
  
• Then you can continue to coach in those specified areas, which will result in a better-trained staff, and increased efficiency due to improved customer service, customer satisfaction.