If You Want It Right, Try Mystery Shopping

There are many reasons why a business, real estate , storage or retail establishment might choose to participate in a mystery shopper program , not the least of which is to determine the level of customer service that employees are providing to the customers as they come through the door. Often, when a business or retail establishment notices a drop in team member morale that coincides with a loss of revenue, the owners or managers of the company will be searching for the cause. No storage owner or businessperson wants to see a drop in sales.

It could very well be that the employees have become stagnant, for lack of a better word, and are bored with their current situation. The novelty of their workplace may have worn off as bonus programs and praise from the higher ups wanes over the course of time. Lack of consistency of training can be a contributing factor, as can a decrease in tips, although that is usually in direct proportion to the quality of service that patrons receive, though not always. It stands to reason that happy customers tip better than customers who have been disappointed in the service that they have received.

A mystery shopper program aids the company in discerning where the trouble spots may be. For example, is it a lack of enthusiasm amongst the employees? Or is it a general sense of displeasure among the ranks of the team members resulting in poor customer service? Whatever the symptoms may be, the cause can often be traced back to inefficient training and employee support. When employees have reason to feel like valued assets to their company or workplace, they generally do a better job at catering to the customers.

The mystery shopper program can also be used in the event that a business or retail establishment wants to get the low down on the competition. It may seem like spying, but in effect, it is really used as more of a measuring stick than anything else. Stealing trade secrets form other companies is not the goal of a mystery shopper program .

Rather, the information that is gathered on such assignments can aid the business in determining if their competitors are out performing or otherwise surpassing their own, which will certainly be cleared up and alleviated within the ranks as soon as the next employee meeting. It is the nature of humans to be competitive, and in the world of business, it stands to reason that people want to outperform those who would try and take their customers away.

Yet another way that a mystery shopper program can aid in the financial growth of a company is to inspire team members by giving them incentive to put their best customer service foot forward and rise to the challenge of getting favorable reviews. When an employee is determined as having excellent interpersonal skill and have been set in the limelight as a superstar among the ranks, others immediately want to get there, too. It is that pesky sense of competition, again, though it is serving the greater good of all involved.

The bottom line is that happy, well cared for employees beget customers who want to come back again and again. Any business would do well to insure that its team members receive excellent mentoring and training programs as well as incentives and benefits to insure that the job is done right.

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