Mystery shopping research is the most basic and in the same time a completely objective tool for measuring the quality of customer service.
The process of service is often hardly visible to the manager. The manager can observe the situation only from close distance, but here another problem arises: when the manager is somewhere in close proximity, employees tend to brace themselves up and try to do their best more than when the manager is far from them.
So how to control the situation if it is actually invisible and unknown? How to know where the weaknesses and strengths of the company lie? What further personnel training should be organised? Can I be sure that the service does not bring any loss to our company? Do I control the customer service quality in our company? How do I measure the quality in my company? How many good and bad Moments of Truth (MOT) are created in my company in one business day/week/month? Do I have a system which continuously guarantees the high level of service?
If you can’t give clear, objective and unambiguous answers to these questions, you can conclude that the customer service quality in your company is not measured and controlled enough. In order to manage, i.e. measure, continuously improve and maintain good customer service or service excellence , it is necessary to launch or improve service quality management system and it’s measurement part particularly in your company.
There are many internationally used business quality management systems and each organization has to choose the measurement system which is best suited to its business or at least start from measuring certain separate segments at first. Customer service can be distinguished as the segment which must be measured, because it has material impact on the long-term success of companies and therefore it is wise not to waste time. But even starting with one part of the full circle company measurement and management system, it’s tools and results have to be combined and matched.
Why is Mystery Shopping required?
There are two groups of customer service quality surveys: