Industry Specific Mystery Shopping Programs
How Companies Are Using Mystery Shopping For Different Industries.
Mystery Shopping’s ultimate aim is to help a company improve to be able to serve its customers better. Each program is design to the company’s specific needs. On whether to evaluate the service overall or a specific staff. Programs can also be design to evaluate other aspects of the shopping experience such as product acceptance. Though, ultimately the same in its objective. There are many different industries that provide service to the public. And that means, there ways for Using Mystery Shopping For Different Industries. Also, previously we had discussed the different methods of Mystery Shopping.
Here are a few examples of Using Mystery Shopping For Different Industries
Retail Mystery Visits
The baseline and most relatable of Mystery Shopping Programs would relate to the retail industry. We are all familiar and have experience with retail service. Walking in a store and whether the staff greets us or offers assistance, what was the level of the service provided? Etc.
When Mystery Shoppers perform these visits, the staff is then evaluated based on the guidelines that are set out by the parent company. So, it is very important that the staff meet the passing standard that has been set. These programs allow companies to identify which areas need more attention to keep the service level according to brand standards. Companies and also figure out ways to improve the service provided as well.
Restaurant Mystery Visits
Similar to Retail Mystery Visits, a restaurant type visit would also involve the shopper evaluating the service level provided. However, it also has some additional points to be scored. Of course, you would have guessed it. It would have to do with the food.
A restaurant visit would also evaluate how the food was served to the customer. Such as how long it took for the food to be served, was there anything wrong with the food or was it well presented. Some programs even allow for shoppers to identify what food items they liked best from the visit, allowing the company to take note on what is popular with the customers.
Service Provider Mystery Audits
This category would encompass those companies that provide services such as telecommunications, television, or even call centre services. We are all consumers of these services and I am sure you are well acquainted with calling a service centre for assistance.
The point of these audits would be to test the knowledge and practical understanding of the staff. If a shopper called in with a problem, would the staff be able to guide the shopper to a solution effectively and efficiently?
The audit will also take into account how the staff sounded/acted when attending to the shopper. For example, whether the staff remained polite despite the shopper getting frustrated.
Automotive Mystery Visits
Now we are getting into the more technical visits.
Automotive industry visits consist mainly of evaluating the service level of the staff. Yes, that does sound similar to all the other audit visits. However, it is a little more technical as there is a lot more information involved.
Imagine you are about to go a buy a new car. Every step that is taken by the staff is a push toward you purchasing the best car for you, that they have to offer. How the staff does this is very important. For example, the staff has a better chance of making the sale if the staff followed up within two days as opposed to two weeks.
Again, there are guidelines that are set by the parent company. However, let’s compare the consequences for a moment to the retail industry. If one bad experience leads to a loss of a shopper and a few hundred in sales for retail. For Automotive industry that’s a few thousand. Now, take that to a bigger scale and put branding in it. If a retail store lost 30% revenue due to bad service, that would be bad. If an automotive dealership loss 30% revenue due to bad service, that would be worst. On top of that people might start thinking about the service provided by the brand, which adversely affect the image of the brand as a whole.
Stay tune for part two of this article.
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