Mystery Shoppers
It’s a crowded marketplace out there and many retailers find it difficult to differentiate their product or service from that of their competitors. One way they can stand out is to make sure the quality of their customer service better than that of their competitors.
Good quality customer service is as important to a customer as the features of the product or service they’re buying. The problem is, retail customers don't complain if they are dissatisfied, they just go elsewhere. It is, after all, human nature to avoid public confrontation. And while they won’t tell staff about poor customer service, they will tell all their friends.
Consequently, retailers are keen to ensure their customer service standards are consistently high. With a continuous monitoring programme, it’s possible to detect and correct service shortfalls before they become a problem. Mystery Shoppers are increasingly called in to contribute to such a monitoring programme.
Mystery Shopping is a tool used by market research companies to measure the quality of a retail service or gather specific information about products sold by a retailer. Mystery Shoppers pose as normal customers, purchasing products, asking questions or registering complaints and then providing feedback on their experiences.
Arguably the fastest and most effective method of obtaining objective management data about customer service levels, Mystery Shopping is also an effective means of identifying staff who require training and a deterrent against dishonesty and bad practice. Using these scores to build into incentive programmes and bonuses, ensures store staff at every level are focused on delivering the highest possible customer service.
