As a tool, mystery shopping helps target specific areas of concern, such as cleanliness, merchandising, and overall staff efficiency. These are some of the most important components of brand identity, after all, and are essential for helping a business stand out among its industry peers. Otherwise, your business is doomed to compete purely on something as banal as price or product catalog. In terms of bolstering revenues and enhancing profits, this all makes sense. But one benefit of mystery shopping that often gets glossed over in all of these considerations is just how powerful it is for the customers themselves.
Let’s first consider this: if we analyze the relationship between a business and its customer in the most cynical manner possible, it would seem to be only about finding ways to part customers from their money, which is to say there isn’t much of a relationship at all. Indeed, many sales-oriented managers even see the sales process itself as a battle of wills between the seller and the buyer, like a game of who can squeeze the most out of the other. This kind of antagonism is unhealthy and ultimately destructive long-term. Most of us wouldn’t want that from our personal relationships, so why should we desire that in our professional ones?
The far superior tact is to build a mutually beneficial relationship with customers, especially if you value loyalty, repeat business, and referrals. While our businesses have many priorities—from making payroll to keeping the lights on, from opening more locations to developing new products and services—the wisest among us know that customer satisfaction is the glue the holds everything together. Everything falls apart otherwise. If we want people to patronize our businesses, we have to show them some love back.
Perhaps the most powerful consequence of mystery shopping is that it forces all of your employees to take a hard look at the kinds of relationships they have with your customers. The more they consider the perspectives of your clientele, the more they project themselves into their shoes, the healthier that relationship grows. Then, when it comes time to help solve problems or sell add-ons, it’s not something the salesperson has to do begrudgingly or because he or she is trying to extort as much money as possible. Instead, it’s because he or she wants to see the customer receive the absolute best experience possible, and thus be as satisfied as possible. Mystery shopping reminds us that pleasing others is also pleasing to us. In the end, we want both sellers and buyers to come out feeling like winners.
Valentine’s Day will be here next week. Show your staff some love by helping them improve their sales and customer service skills with a tool like mystery shopping. Just as importantly, show your customers that love too by doubling down on your commitment to delivering the best experience for them that you can. Make customer satisfaction the way you show your affection and appreciation. There’s no better Valentine you can give them!
Want to learn more? We welcome you to peruse our website and learn more about everything from on-site, competitive, and telephone mystery shopping. Want to talk to a person? We want to talk to you too! Call us at 406–586–3036, or feel free to complete this contact form so we can get this conversation started.
