Companies that are concerned with implementing quality service standards in their customer outlets appreciate the importance of the mystery shopper program, whether these companies have hundreds of customer service centers across the country, or even startups that own a number of branches that focus primarily on providing best-in-class services through these outlets. The question that arises is - is it possible for mystery shopper programs to fail? The answer is: Yes, it can happen, if they are not implemented properly, and management may not notice this until customers continue to be upset, and the mystery shopper program fails to identify the reasons for this.
The ideal mystery shopper programs can be divided into 4 stages:
Organizing the sample and repeating visits.
Developing the questionnaire.
Hiring and training mystery shoppers.
The ability to view comments directly to take the necessary action.
Below we explain to you in more detail how to implement a mystery shopper program successfully and skillfully:
Stages of Ideal Mystery Shopper Programs
Organizing the sample and repeating visits:
It is important that the program includes all branches to be able to accurately identify problems at the branch level. Companies with multiple branches have two options: dividing the number of branches and studying them into groups on a quarterly basis, or evaluating them alternately on a monthly basis. The frequency of visits depends on the number of branches in the facility. If there are fewer branches, it makes sense to conduct multiple visits and divide those visits into several trips and scenarios for customers.
Developing the questionnaire:
The questionnaire or evaluation form plays an important role in the success of the program, so it must cover the entire customer journey and be objective. Another good practice is to include in the questionnaire an evaluation of a set of service criteria, including atmosphere, staff, operations, outputs, etc. Care must also be taken to include the type of questions that can be answered smoothly and objectively without ambiguity or personal bias.
Recruiting and training mystery shoppers:
Recruiting the right people for the program is one of the most challenging tasks of any mystery shopping experience. It is essential that these people match the appearance and behavior of the average customer in the branch so that they can easily blend in with other customers, and do not appear special or exceptional in any way. They must also be thoroughly trained in the ethics and practices of mystery shopping, and be aware of all the necessary information required to conduct the visit, including all possible scenarios that we summarize in “what if?”.
The ability to view comments directly to take the necessary action:
Creating an interactive dashboard that is connected online to the survey program is the best way to get the details immediately after the visit is completed. Therefore, the dashboard should be interactive, and the user should be able to filter the data in different formats by: regions, branch, month, quarter, etc.
The inclusion of red flag notifications in the dashboard is also an essential addition, showing the results of branches that are extremely low or below the agreed limit, and an email notification is automatically sent to the relevant management in this regard.
In conclusion
Mystery shoppers are an effective tool for improving customer experience, and their success depends on well-thought-out planning, organizing samples and repeat visits, as well as developing objective surveys and carefully recruiting and training shoppers. The program requires establishing a data management system and presenting results in a timely manner to identify problems and take necessary actions. The success of the program also depends on several important points, namely, the quality of the “mystery shopper” residents and geographical coverage to ensure accurate and comprehensive insights. Mystery shoppers provide companies with a competitive advantage that establishes customer satisfaction and loyalty. Steady Pace has a large and diverse list of satisfied customers who have successfully implemented mystery shopper programs using our expertise in the field. Therefore, we would be happy to contact us if your organization is interested in learning more about the program.