Mystery shopping’s most important function is to serve as a training tool. That’s not the only function, of course: mystery shops are important for monitoring how effective your merchandising is or whether customers are enjoying or even understanding your product options, among other uses. But training should be its primary focus, as a well-trained staff is critical to your business’s ability to generate profit through addons and upsells, as well as foster customer loyalty through effective customer service. There’s no component of the customer experience more important than your staff’s interaction with your customers, as that’s what they’ll remember most.
As a rule, customers prefer to work with upbeat, enthusiastic employees who know what they’re talking about and listen well to customer concerns. Low energy employees who can’t be bothered to learn about the products or listen to the customers’ needs are a surefire way to scare off customers to the competition. So, what separates the great employees from the poor ones? Oftentimes, it comes down to job satisfaction. Those who are happy are more likely to care about their work; those who aren’t happy couldn’t care less.
Businesses come to The Brandt Group in all sorts of different situations, as you might guess. Some are already doing well, and they just want to make sure they keep the ship right as they attempt to grow their businesses. Others are struggling, and are looking for a way to get back on course.
Either way, employees may be wary of your business implementing a mystery-shopping program. After all, who likes being analyzed? Employees at healthy companies might say they shouldn’t be held to account because they’re already doing so well; employees at struggling companies might begrudge the bosses for scrutinizing their work, as though they’re being blamed for everything.
But the truth is that mystery shopping presents an opportunity to reward employees, not excoriate them. How so? Because mystery shopping presents you, the business owner or the manager, with a nuanced understanding of the customer experience the sales figures alone cannot tell. Mystery shopping measures what’s normally immeasurable, the level of service your employees are providing to your customers—the very skills that need to be encouraged.
Through mystery shops, you can discover who are your quiet customer-service stalwarts. If your business involves commissions, sales rewards, tips, etc., perhaps you’ll discover that these customer-service champions aren’t making a lot of extra money. Maybe they’re interpersonally wonderful but need additional training to hone their sales pitches so they can pick up more of those all-important addons and up-sells. A mystery shop has the nuance to show you that; a sales contest does not.
This is an important tool even at businesses that are struggling. You’re likely to discover that there are still some employees who care, who are really trying to do a good job, but are struggling because the whole business is having a hard time. Identifying those great employees is crucial to your business’s recovery: they’re the future you’re going to build upon.
Recognizing and rewarding employees for stellar customer service just makes sense. It’s certainly a better idea than using mystery shops only to criticize. More carrot, less stick. Also, employees who are applauded for what they do well are far more likely to be accept correction on the things they don’t do as well.
Are you mystery shopping your business right now? Have you implemented an employee training and reward system based on those mystery shops? If not, we can help you start. Reach out today, and we can help your business develop the kind of mystery-shopping program that employees will welcome, the kind that will help build your company’s future on employee loyalty, customer satisfaction, and enhanced profits. Let’s talk now!
