Mystery Shopping Success Stories
by Judith Ann Hess
Founder and owner of Customer Perspectives™
Most retailers agree that customer retention is the key to improving
share of market. Most also agree that quality customer service
is the key to customer retention. It's in how to measure and improve
customer service that opinions differ; "the devil's in the details".
Ways to measure customer service include a variety of surveys.
These include intercept surveys, telephone surveys, in store comment
cards, and interactive voice response (IVR). Of necessity, these
surveys are short and can, therefore, capture only a few key measurements
of service. In addition, respondents are likely to be either very
disgruntled or wildly satisfied. However, most customers fall
into the wide gap between those extremes. Thus, their experiences
are too bland to generate a response. Mystery shopping fills that
gap. However, companies that use mystery shopping only as a measurement
tool are only using half the tool - like sawing through only half
a log! Retailers should, to maximize the value of mystery shopping,
use results to devise and implement strategies that improve their
level of customer service.
Two nationwide clients of Customer Perspectivesª, one of the
country's first mystery shopping firms, exemplify diverse ways
in which mystery shopping can be used to enhance, rather than
just measure, customer service.
A bridal store success story:
The bridal customer is unique. She is shopping for apparel for
a very important day - either her own wedding day or as a member
of a wedding party. Wedding days are brimming with emotion and
stress, much of it focused on appearance and detail. The planning
process can take months, even years. Bridal store employees are
trained to take all this into account and provide service that
makes their customers feel special and important, in keeping with
the importance of their "special day".
A leading nationwide bridal store has teamed up with Customer
Perspectivesª of Hooksett, NH, to design a mystery shopping program
that dovetails with the bridal store's overall customer service
evaluation efforts. The shopping reports are used as the basis
for tutorials that are given once a month to all employees. Employees
are engaged in role playing and brainstorming activities with
the goal of continuously improving customer service. Quarterly,
the mystery shopping results are combined with responses to customer
survey cards to produce a customer service "scorecard". This scorecard
measures how well expectations are being met, how store traffic
is being managed, and what kind of first impressions are being
created.
The management team of the bridal store feels the mystery shopping
reports are particularly useful at measuring the customer's first
impressions of the store and what factors make her decide if she'll
return. As one executive notes, the typical bridal shopping experience
is quite lengthy - sometimes as long as two years. Mystery shopping
reports allow management to identify missed opportunities during
a customer's initial visit, (as opposed to the customer service
survey cards, which are sent to registered customers and focus
only on the actual shopping experience). When viewed over time,
trends and patterns emerge and can be addressed by the retailer.
For example, because of frequent reports of long waits for service,
management now instructs employees to encourage customers who
call for directions and/or store hours to set up mid-week appointments
to avoid the usually high traffic of Saturdays. This retailer
uses mystery shopping is an integral part of an overall customer
service evaluation program that trains and rewards employees for
outstanding performance. It also provides management with a customer's
perspective of their total shopping experience.
A swimwear store success story:
A nationwide swimwear client has been using mystery shopping
as part of its customer service program since 1999. It's corporate
trainer says, "With a corporate office in Florida and stores nationwide,
we feel this is the best opportunity we have to view the level
of customer service we are providing our clients. We are able
to identify staffing issues and training opportunities through
the shops."
The retailer has over 30 stores nationwide. Staff varies from
5 - 15 employees per store, depending on sales volume. Individuals
are not targeted for evaluation. Rather, random shops are performed
with the expectation that the majority of the staff will be shopped
over time.
Management reports, "We offer a reward of $100 for every 100%
mystery shop. We have a strong customer service and sales focus.
Our non-negotiable sales standards have been incorporated into
the shop. These standards are very basic, such as greeting every
customer as they enter the store and bringing additional items
to the fitting room. The shops are a great training tool for us."
On average, between 5 and 10 rewards are given out every month.
The mystery shops are taken into consideration for performance
reviews and additional points are added for perfect shops. The
District Manager reviews the shops with the Store Manager, who
then discusses the shop with their employee. The shops are tracked
on a spreadsheet. Compliance on the non-negotiable sales standards
is also tracked and weighted as 50% of the shop. A management
spokesperson says she has seen consistent company-wide improvement.
For example, in the past as peak season approached, a decline
in service was noted as busy employees tried to handle more than
one customer. That specific selling situation was targeted and
employees now have the tools to cope with several customers at
once.
The mystery shopping program reinforces the company-wide training
program. Employees receive thorough training on service expectations
during their first few days with the company. Those first few
days are spent role playing with the trainer. Customer service
expectations are explained and employees must demonstrate their
understanding of the expectations before they are allowed to assist
customers on their own.
Management believes this integrated approach serves both the
employee and the customer well. By rewarding positive behavior
and identifying training needs, their mystery shopping program
ensures customer service remains at the top of the list for all
employees at all times.
These two firms demonstrate just a few of the ways clients have
been successful in using mystery shopping as a tool to improve,
not just measure, customer service. The dozens of other ways that
mystery shopping can be used to grow market share through enhanced
customer service are only limited by your imagination.
