Mystery shopping is a research method that helps businesses improve sales performance by letting an individual act as an ordinary customer while they review and assess the various aspects of the establishment. This program is designed to evaluate the service of the business. Its main advantage is that it helps business owners receive genuine and sincere feedback about their business, which can allow them to improve their services significantly.
There are several ways or methods you can do mystery shopping, and these are:
1. By visiting the actual store
This method is the most common type wherein an individual is disguised as an ordinary customer and visits actual stores for paid evaluation. It is usually performed to assess the service quality of the establishment.
The most common industries where it is conducted are:
- Restaurants
- Retails
- Gas stations
- Banks
- Hotels
- Healthcare facilities
- Fitness centers or gyms
- Automotive businesses
This method typically lasts for about ten minutes to an hour, depending on the purpose, indicators, and evaluated sphere set by the client. Businesses use this method to improve employee performance.
2. By checking out the online store
With the peak of the digital market, many businesses today shift online to market and advertise their products or services. With that, mystery shopping through online stores becomes equally important to actual store visits.
This method is ideal for the following industries:
- E-commerce
- Travel
- Real estate
- Telecommunication
- Insurance
- Automotive
A mystery shopper that evaluates an online store will assess:
- How they respond to customer requests
- How they interact with the customers through their website and social media pages
- How effective and convenient it is to use their website
- How knowledgeable the employees are about their products or services
3. By calling the customer service hotline
This method is ideal for companies that use call centers or phone services regularly. Like any other form of marketing, telemarketing should also undergo review and assessment to ensure quality service to customers. It will also help improve sales performance significantly.
During the call, the mystery shopper will assess:
- How fast it gets to connect or call
- How the employee greets the customer
- How competent and skilled they are
- How they were able to carry the conversation
- How they were able to solve the client’s concern
4. By mixing different methods
When you do mystery shopping, you do not necessarily need to stick to one method. On the contrary, mixed methods bring more benefits as they give more feedback from the shopper. This mixed-method tactic is ideal for businesses that have several platforms. Doing it will help improve employee performance.
Conclusion
Mystery shopping is an excellent way of assessing your business in the eye of an ordinary customer. With this, you can improve your business services and sales by relying on the honest feedback of the shopper. If you want to improve the overall performance of your company, you should consider doing mystery shopping. Just learn which method will work best for your establishment, and you are good to go.
If you are looking to hire a mystery shopper company, get in touch with us today. We can perform undercover operatives, background checks, workers comp fraud, and video surveillance in an attempt to help improve your business performance and sales.
