What Mystery Shopping Does

Companies now realise the value of their customers, not just their immediate transaction value, but over their lifetime - and this approach starts with the initial transaction. It's widely recognised that it is far cheaper to retain an existing customer than to attract a new one.

Mystery customer evaluations provide objective data about sales and service execution across a broad range of locations. It allows employees, managers and directors to identify specific areas that need improvement.

The delivery of excellent customer service is a vital factor in every company. The most effective way to measure customer sales and service delivery, is through trained Mystery Shoppers.

KPI's.

Mystery Shoppers measure the performance of sales and service employees deliver, against agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPI's). However Mystery Shopping is much more than written based Reports. There are several performance evaluation services that can be undertaken individually, or run in tandem.

Video.

Covert video mystery shopping is a specialist area, it uses 'State of the Art' recording technology to capture employee interactions. Once edited, the recorded footage can then be watched on DVD, most computers, or viewed online with a good internet connection.

Telephone.

Sales and service skills can also be monitored over the phone, in most cases; these calls are now recorded for playback. Calls can also be used to record how employees handle customer complaints.

Internet/Email.

An order or email enquiry is made via the companies' web site. The Mystery Shopper then monitors the speed of the response, and where required, track and log an order all the way through to delivery. The return and refund process can also be evaluated.

Postal (also known as "Dead Letter Box").

The evaluator makes an enquiry via phone or email for information to be posted out to their home. They then track how long it took to be delivered, and what the quality of the order was like on delivery.

Competitor monitoring.

Competing organisations use evaluator reports to monitor their competitors i.e. how their sales and service standards rate against their own.

Underage ID checks.

Companies need to be certain their employees are actively asking young customers; purchasing age restricted products for ID. Licensees can face a 6 month jail sentence or a £20,000 fine if they fail to ask anyone who looks under-18 for ID under the Government's mandatory code on alcohol retailing.

Overall, the secret shoppers evaluate whether or not employees are doing and saying, what they've been trained to do and say. Having systems in place to test and measure these standards, enables the company to be in control. As the saying goes 'what gets measured, gets done'.