There are many factors that work together to make a mystery shopping program successful. However, no matter how much support your program receives from management, it will not be sustainable, consistent and successful without the full participation of your frontline staff.
The MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association) commissioned a study in 2005 to quantify the mystery shopping market. The study conservatively estimated the U.S mystery shopping industry at $600 million and growing (The MSPA now estimates the number to be closer to 800 million), with mystery shopping companies growing at an estimated 11.1% between 2004 and 2005
A comprehensive mystery shopping program uses a combination of components that work synergistically to develop the vital data store managers need to effect change. One of those components is IVR (interactive voice response).
Unfortunately, some IVR vendors have chosen to position IVR surveys as a replacement for mystery shopping. This is erroneous, since these approaches provide different types of data, one based on subjective recollection and the other based on objective observation.
Once upon a time, you could enter a store and expect to be met by a friendly, helpful sales associate. Today, in many cases, you’re lucky if you can even find a sales associate to ask a simple question.
In a study conducted by STORES/BIGResearch, 19% of shoppers believe rude employees are at the core of poor customer service. With the next overly-indulged generation of sales associates about to come of age, today’s customer service is not likely to improve.
Companies who use mystery shopping programs to boost productivity and revenue often incentivize employees who attain good results. After all, mystery shopping goals are met by people, and people enjoy being rewarded for a job well done. There’s nothing inherently wrong with rewarding top performers, and it can certainly go a long way towards motivating other employees as well. To be effective, however, incentives must be awarded correctly, and that begins with analyzing the data.
Background
A woman’s apparel retailer was committed to the ideal that their associates should demonstrate an insatiable drive for anticipating and fulfilling customers’ desires. To implement this philosophy, the company wished to measure existing customer service, and the immediate impact that training has on associates’ behavior. As a sub- measurement, the company also wanted to evaluate whether implemented training held up over time.
The Question
Can one-time training be effective enough to bring about desired change, or must training be ongoing to support changes over time across stores and/or brands?
If you walked out of your office to find your building burning down, would you grab the first extinguisher or call 911? Similarly, if your company’s revenue is decreasing exponentially, staff turnover is high, your reputation is sinking, and you’re dreaming in red ink, are you going to blame it on your mystery shopping program? Some companies do.
Integrity is a big word when it comes to mystery shopping programs. In terms of the shopper, the data and of course the provider. A program’s success is directly linked to the “buy in” from associates. If they do not believe in the program; How can the program work?
Choosing a Mystery Shopping Provider can seem like a daunting task. There are many to choose from who all seem to offer more or less the same services. What are the best criteria to use when making your choice? Are there specific points to consider? Of course there are. Here are the top five mistakes many companies make when choosing a provider.
While some people may say retail is retail, there’s actually a marked difference between outlet stores and traditional retail stores in terms of traffic, customer relationships and frontline staff performance.
The typical outlet shopper isn’t as much interested in assistance from staff as they are in finding the good bargains. They’re more willing to search through merchandise for good deals and don’t expect to receive the same level of personal attention as when shopping in a retail location.
