Is Mystery Shopping Beneficial
for My Store?
Tips for choosing and using a mystery
shopping program
"As I was listening to Jennifer talk to two young men ahead of us,
they remarked how polite she was. She replied that they get mystery shopped
and she wants to get good marks." "I have to mention a third employee,
Tara, who stood behind the counter in the corner of the store, kissing
her boyfriend for most of my visit."
Two employees, two very different be haviors. Both reported by mystery
shoppers hired by their employers to evaluate customer service.
What is a mystery shopping program, exactly? Simply put, it is a cost
effective way for a company to objectively evaluate customer service,
from the customer's point of view. "Secret shoppers" pay a visit to your
business, appearing as an average customer. It is also a method of determining
in what areas to focus training efforts and a way of assessing the effectiveness
of these efforts.
FTo get started, you first must decide what you want evaluated.is it
basic service amenities such as a warm greeting or thanking every customer?
Are you trying to promote a new product or service and want to make sure
it is being mentioned to customers? Perhaps you want to keep employees
"on their toes" with the thought that ANY shopper MIGHT be a mystery shopper.
If you are thinking about setting up a training program for your employees,
mystery shopping can take a "snapshot" of current customer service. Do
your employees take care to greet and thank every customer ? Do they invite
customers to return? What is their level of product knowledge? How are
returns handled? By evaluating the existing level of customer service
prior to beginning a training program, a benchmark is established. The
trainer can then more accurately determine what areas need to be addressed
as well as what is currently succeeding and should be reinforced.
Evaluating customer service after training is a valuable use of mystery
shopping. By doing so, the effectiveness of the training program can be
measured, using a custom designed evaluation form which highlights the
areas emphasized during training. Mystery shopping scheduled shortly after
the conclusion of a formal training program will pinpoint areas of success
and continuing weakness. Trainers can thereby determine what techniques
and teaching methods worked well in getting the message across to employees,
and which didn't. Follow-up training can then be designed. Over a period
of several months - or longer - continued improvement in specific areas
can be documented, as can areas of persistent problems.
How do you find a mystery shopping company that is most appropriate for
your needs? Referrals from others in your industry is one of the best
places to start. Another is Quirks Marketing Magazine, which devotes its
January issue to mystery shopping and lists companies which provide mystery
shopping. Some of the companies are solely devoted to mystery shopping;
others offer it but are more geared to quantitative market research. Many
of these companies belong to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association,
which also publishes a directory. They can be reached at 847-375-4743
or on the web at www.mysteryshop.com. An internet search, using the key
words "mystery shopping" will also provide the names of many companies
who "shop".
One of the first things the chosen company will want to do is help you
develop your evaluation form. The form should be custom designed to reflect
what it is you want measured. For instance, the form designed for a supermarket
should look very different from a form used by a bank.
But before a form can be designed, the client must have clearly defined
criteria and standards. If these are absent, there will be no satisfactory
way to objectively measure employee performance. For example, the question,
"Were you acknowledged when you entered the store?" is not as clear as
"Were you greeted within three minutes of entering the store?"
Before the program is started' you should determine how the results will
be used. Will you develop, refine or evaluate a training program? Will
you implement an incentive program for employees? Will the results be
part of a manager's bonus? Perhaps you'll institute a "friendly competition"
between several stores in one region or between regions or divisions.
At Customer Perspectives, we are often asked about using evaluations
as part of a performance review. We feel mystery shopping is far more
effective when it is viewed as instructive rather than punitive - i.e.,
an opportunity to "catch employees doing something right". Therefore,
we do not recommend a single mystery shoppers' evaluation be used as the
sole basis of an employee's performance review. However, several evaluations,
done over a period of time, can be used to document a pattern of behavior.
It is also important to decide in advance how often you want the mystery
shopping to take place. Workable programs have been set up on a weekly,
monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly basis. Most mystery shopping programs
work best if they are done on an on-going basis, but some clients prefer
to evaluate all locations just once. This provides a "customer service
snapshot" which helps them decide what action they want to take from there.
For companies with more than one location, you'll need to decide if all
locations are going to be shopped at the same time, or if you prefer to
rotate locations from month to month or quarter to quarter.
The size of your store should not determine whether or not you employ
mystery shopping. As long as you have employees working when you are not,
and you want to know how they perform in your absence, mystery shopping
will be helpful. Fewer employees and/or a small number of locations mean
frequency can be less (quarterly versus monthly, for example) but even
two employees at one location can make shopping a good investment.
A well thought out mystery shopping program customers, with clearly defined
criteria and objectives as well as appropriate follow-up, is a visible
show of management support for the saying, "The customer comes first."
Satisfied customers are the most effective and least expensive advertising
a retail store can hope for. Conversely, a steady stream of disgruntled
customers can gradually weaken the store's reputation and decrease the
market of potential customers. A great selection or lower prices may never
compensate for the loss.
Karen Gomes Moore is an account representative at Customer
Perspectives in Hooksett, N.H. Customer Perspectives is a nationwide mystery
shopping firm that has been providing top-notch customer service evaluations
for 18 years. She can be reached at www.info@customerperpectives.com.
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