Mystery Shopping solutions and CX management service

Sector / Industry

Recognised US shoe brand.

Challenge​

This client was looking to remove a script from front line team vocabulary​ with approximately 228 mystery shops per month​.

Key Achievements

• Global program coordination with customer experience improving by 8% across all markets​.
• Applied knowledge of cultural differences and environment​.
• Implemented ‘Independence’ initiative across EMEA & APAC​.
• On-going support and program management for each country​.
• Data analysis enabled reward and recognition.
• Specific training needs were also identified (esp. for US and China).

The secret shopper or mystery shopper are real customers - people who are looking to help improve service and experience, earn some extra money, and undertake varied and interesting scenarios to well known brands - many of which they visit every day. Mystery Shopping agencies recruit, train and certify individuals who go on to undertake detailed observations across a given customer journey or scenario. Presenting themselves as a real customer (whilst maintaining the underlying purpose of their visit a secret) this person makes specific observations and often asks specific questions to gather information pertaining to their assignment.

The objective of a mystery shopper is to obtain specific information, evaluate and measure the level of quality and customer service attention against specific criteria. Unlike other types of customer experience methodologies, mystery shopping is not based upon the personal opinion of the individual (as is the case with many other forms of research) but rather uses targeted observations to provide objective feedback. This feedback, obtained against specific operational and behavioral standards, can be used to help any organization understand how its front line teams are performing, where there are common challenges in its service delivery, and what can be done to improve performance.

Mystery shopping sits within the broader category of market research.

Mystery shopping has the potential to be both qualitative and quantitative, but when undertaking ongoing assessments of site performance that need to be assessed over time, the nature of the measurement is predominantly quantitative in order to ensure data is comparable, objective and robust. Qualitative feedback, when incorporated within a survey, can be used to understand how the delivery of a specific service component, or even the lack of it, impacts on the shoppers perception, satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.

Whilst mystery shopping has been around for many years (predating our ability to shop online), the use of a mystery shopping methodology online is well established and can be applied in exactly the same way as its traditional bricks-and-mortar counterpart. Mystery shopping online will require the same preparation, likely involve assessment of specific scenarios when it comes to purchasing products or services, will often involve a mystery shopper making a purchase, assessing the delivery, undertaking a return and speaking support teams to understand the end-to-end experience. Finally, as omnichannel options evolve (for example click-and-collect) what starts online can often end in a physical location.

As customers, we naturally make evaluations after we’ve concluded any service interaction, in person, over the phone, or online. Any brand lives or dies on the strength of the experience it provides - and the companies who own these brands need to understand how well their frontline teams are delivering the desired experience against its own guidelines.

Mystery shopping is ethical because the measurements undertaken are completed from a customer’s point of view. Checks are undertaken to ensure impartiality and prevent individuals who could be conflicted from completing the assessments. Every response is assessed by a dedicated Quality Assurance Team, and is shared with managers and frontline teams as a learning tool to help improve, rather than an opportunity to name and shame an individual.

Finally, all assessments are completed in line with the MSPA (Mystery shopping Providers Association) code of conduct, and in line with current data legislation (for example GDPR).