Comments for Mystery Shopping Matters

Comment on There’s No Return for Unhappy Customers by mike riddell

mike riddell — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:41:31 +0000

Do you do work in the UK? We need a CEM programme for our shopping centres…heeeelllllpppp!

thanks, Mike

Comment on Health Care Beware: Your Patients May Be Examining You by Kristin Baird

Kristin Baird — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:17:40 +0000

Mystery shopping in healthcare taps into the customer experience even beyond that of the on-site patient visit. While surveys may help in learning about the patient experience, mystery shopping sheds light on the customer experience BEFORE he becomes a patient. Mystery shopping phone calls help to identify the experience during that crucial first encounter by phone. If potential customers don’t have questions answered on the phone, they will never make an appointment and become a patient. Our firm has found that as many as 30% of mystery callers would not seek future care with a provider or recommend a medical practice based on a negative first impression over the phone. Mystery shopping helps to examine every step along the patient experience pathway. I have found that it helps shed light on broken systems and processes that prevent employees from delivering the best possible service.

Comment on Your Survey Is Too Long! by Mystery Shopping

Mystery Shopping — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:35:11 +0000

This is absolutely true. I would say 10-15 questions would have been enough in almost every task what I have done. If I only had one question I would like answer to “how satisfied you are” instead of “how were you greeted”..

Comment on Measuring Progress is a Bottom Line Difference Maker by Stacy

Stacy — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:17:44 +0000

A wide range of businesses use mystery shoppers today. It`s incredible, I`ve even heard of some city zoos being evaluated in the US. In Scotland, they`re begining to employ mystery shoppers in the residential housing market to evaluate customer service. I`m sure the number of businesses that use secret shoppers will continue to grow.

-Stacy
http://secret-shopper-review.com

Comment on What’s Wrong With This Question by John

John — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:11:18 +0000

These are very good points, but I question the strength of the second example. Wouldn’t it be more objective to ask several questions: “Were male associates dressed shirts and slacks? Were female associates dressed in shirt and slacks/skirts?” It seems to me that the intent is to quantify, to the extent possible, the corporate dress code and to determine the extent to which associates were following it.

Comment on Four Warning Signs Your Program Lacks Integrity by Anonymous Blog Watcher

Anonymous Blog Watcher — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 14:12:35 +0000

A crucial issue surrounding that of mystery shopping program integrity is this: does the mystery shopping provider acknowledge that monitoring the integrity of the program is vitally important? If so, does the provider offer mechanisms for monitoring program integrity that make good sense to the client company? A good provider will be alert to signs of integrity slippage and will address them directly with the client. Sometimes, that will be uncomfortable for the provider because the provider will have identified flaws in the client’s efforts to get employee “buy in” for the program. If the problems with integrity are traced back to shoppers (e.g., the scores really were bogus, due to a bad shopper’s report slipping through the quality assurance process), the provider must demonstrate additional steps that will minimize future potential for problems. Failure to address integrity early on invites severe repercussions that are difficult to repair.

Comment on “What’s The Frequency” by Jason Levin

Jason Levin — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 23:28:57 +0000

Love the analogy on “keeping score.” Whether it is mystery shopping or any other customer experience metric, keeping score on a CONSISTENT basis is so important. Too often consultants whip in, get paid big bucks for a quick study that really has no lasting power. Always keeping score and not subscribing to the “flavor of the month” mentality is what keep companies on top.

Comment on Increase Your Sales by 10% (Part One) by Anonymous Blog Watcher

Anonymous Blog Watcher — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 21:24:04 +0000

I’m convinced that conversion rates can skyrocket when the data gathered through a mystery shopping program is immediately translated into actionable information for front-line managers and into performance targets for front-line associates. Mindy Tresher points out in her comment that many organizations do not know their conversion rates. That suggests a need for broad, organization-wide education on many fronts. Certainly, conversion rates should be measured. But even if they are not, they can be dramatically influenced by mystery shopping if the information gathered is put to good use. Companies should use their mystery shopping providers not only to gather data, but to offer insights into how the data should be translated into action. That’s where conversion rates start to improve.

Comment on Increase Your Sales by 10% (Part One) by Mindy Tresher

Mindy Tresher — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:32:18 +0000

David…I agree 100% with your comments. However as a seasoned retail executive I can tell you that many organizations do not even know what their conversion rate is during the year. And if they do, it is not shared throughout the organization. Our fault, not yours.

Comment on Measuring Progress is a Bottom Line Difference Maker by Karen

Karen — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 03:07:53 +0000

This makes a lot of sense. How else would a business know that customers are satisfied or mildly dissatisfied, other than using secret shoppers. Only those with complaints or who want to return merchandise usually contact customer service. And those people can’t usually provide precise details.

I think more and more businesses will be using secret shoppers.

Karen Roberts
http://become-a-secret-shopper.com