Are you a business owner that has seen a decline in the quality of the customer service that your employees are offering? Do you wish you could see your business from the perspective of the average customer so that you could understand what needs to be improved or changed? One of the most effective ways to do this is to use a mystery shopping program.
Perhaps you have heard about mystery shopping programs but you are not really sure how they work. When you hire a mystery shopping company, what do they do and how do they assess your business? In order to help you learn a little bit more about this service, here are some of the commonly asked questions about mystery shopping programs:
What is a Mystery Shopper?
This is someone who visits your place of business and pretends to be a typical customer, so that they can make an unbiased assessment of the level of customer service. The mystery shopper asks specific questions and makes requests that are agreed upon in advance, in order to test the training of the staff members. They will then put together a report that will give details and feedback about the quality of service that they received.
Are Mystery Shoppers Just for Retail Establishments?
No, not necessarily! Many other organisations use mystery shoppers, including restaurants, hotels, tour agencies and much more. Essentially, any companies that offer a face to face customer service function can benefit from having a mystery shopper come in and assess what that experience is really like.
Why are Mystery Shoppers Valuable?
One of the most important aspects of your business is the quality of human interaction that your employees can offer to your customers. If there is little difference between your product and that of your competitors, it is the pleasant customer service that will set you apart from the rest. This means that improving your customer service is highly valuable for increased profit.
Also, when your staff has strong customer service skills this encourages repeat business. Repeat sales not only improve your bottom line, but they will save you money on advertising and help you to promote your business via word of mouth which is one of the best forms of advertising.
What Type of Things Can a Mystery Shopper Assess?
A mystery shopper can assess a number of aspects of the customer experience in your shop. Before they complete their assignment you will meet with them and let them know what they should be looking for during their shopping experience.
The aspects that the mystery shopper can assess include:
· The overall cleanliness of the store
· How long it takes before they are greeted after walking in
· Whether or not they are greeted in a friendly way
· What questions they are asked
· What types of products they are shown
· The sales techniques that are used by the employee
· How the employee attempted to close the sale
· The speed of service when ringing up the purchase
· The farewell greeting of the employee and whether they were invited to come back to the store
These are just a few examples of details that a mystery shopper might be looking for. Of course, these pointers will be unique to each different business.
Should I Tell my Employees They are Being Evaluated?
If you are implementing a mystery shopper program, should you tell your employees that someone will be coming in to evaluate them? The answer to this one is up to you, but most mystery shopper companies recommend that you let them know. It will ensure that they don’t feel blindsided after they find out that the program has been taking place.
Make sure that you explain to your employees that a mystery shopping program is not a punishment or a way to “spy on them”. Your staff should not feel threated by the program or feel like you are trying to catch them doing something wrong. Instead the program should be used as a way to set benchmarks and honestly evaluate their performance. It is a training tool that you can use to discover the gaps in their knowledge and skills, so that you can help them to improve.
These are just a few of the most commonly asked questions about mystery shopping programs. If you think that this type of service would be helpful for you, make sure that you contact a field marketing agency and talk to them about implementing a custom tailored mystery shopper program for your business.
