I have discussed the critical components that guarantee a successful secret shopping program. I discussed the concern of finding a provider that hires high quality, well trained shoppers in my post "Five Mistakes Companies Make When Choosing a Mystery Shopping Provider".
"Your mystery shopping provider should be able to cover all primary, secondary and tertiary areas with qualified shoppers. Additionally, they should have a procedure in place for tracking shopper performance, and should be able to tell you about each shopper's ability for adhering to stated policy."
Can you picture what it would be like if your secret shopping company sent the same person to your store every month? Before long, the frontline staff would catch on, causing the plan to lose its effectiveness.
This is just what happened to a bank located in Vermont. Everyone in the bank knew who the mystery shopper was, as the same person came in month after month. This turned the whole procedure into a joke among the employees, while the whole program was defeated overall.
This prompted the bank to change the mystery shopping provider, seeking two goals:
1. Employ a secret shopper company that would provide a shopper that came across as a regular customer.
2. Acquire accurate, reliable data on their employees' customer service skills and level of service.
The secret shopping staff chosen by the bank promised to rotate new shoppers through the bank's branches each month and was willing to tailor their programs to fit the bank's needs. The factors this bank were researching were hospitality towards customers, accuracy of information conveyed on the financial products, the efficiency of transactions, and ability to cross sell products.
This plan helped the bank rapidly discover weaknesses. For example, employees did not always address customers by name, so training was instituted to improve in this area. Employees were also provided with training on cross-selling through exploring the customer need. Managers began to coach their employees on closing a sale without a pushy feeling.
In order to ensure employee involvement, the bank offers rewards, such as hotel vouchers and bonus points that go towards product for those who get a great shopper report. Those with great scores also get in house recognition.
This demonstrates that having a program in place that researches the data in effective ways can impact the employee morale, the customer's perception, and ultimately the company's bottom line.
"Your mystery shopping provider should be able to cover all primary, secondary and tertiary areas with qualified shoppers. Additionally, they should have a procedure in place for tracking shopper performance, and should be able to tell you about each shopper's ability for adhering to stated policy."
Can you picture what it would be like if your secret shopping company sent the same person to your store every month? Before long, the frontline staff would catch on, causing the plan to lose its effectiveness.
This is just what happened to a bank located in Vermont. Everyone in the bank knew who the mystery shopper was, as the same person came in month after month. This turned the whole procedure into a joke among the employees, while the whole program was defeated overall.
This prompted the bank to change the mystery shopping provider, seeking two goals:
1. Employ a secret shopper company that would provide a shopper that came across as a regular customer.
2. Acquire accurate, reliable data on their employees' customer service skills and level of service.
The secret shopping staff chosen by the bank promised to rotate new shoppers through the bank's branches each month and was willing to tailor their programs to fit the bank's needs. The factors this bank were researching were hospitality towards customers, accuracy of information conveyed on the financial products, the efficiency of transactions, and ability to cross sell products.
This plan helped the bank rapidly discover weaknesses. For example, employees did not always address customers by name, so training was instituted to improve in this area. Employees were also provided with training on cross-selling through exploring the customer need. Managers began to coach their employees on closing a sale without a pushy feeling.
In order to ensure employee involvement, the bank offers rewards, such as hotel vouchers and bonus points that go towards product for those who get a great shopper report. Those with great scores also get in house recognition.
This demonstrates that having a program in place that researches the data in effective ways can impact the employee morale, the customer's perception, and ultimately the company's bottom line.
About the Author:
Looking For The Best Customer Experience Management ? Then Visit ICC/Decision Services To Find Out How Mystery Shopping Can Help.
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