Problems with mystery shopping we should know and solve

Companies hire mystery shopping services in order to check and evaluate the level of customer satisfaction generated from an implemented customer experience strategy. The service provider hired will appoint experienced professionals who can easily pinpoint the issues in customer services provided by the hirer.

It is conducted through a well-planned mystery shopping program designed by the hired service provider by focusing on a few factors. These factors are determined after understanding what the hirer wants to check in its customer service management segment.

Who are mystery shoppers?

We can now clearly understand that the performance of mystery shoppers will decide the outcome of this program. They will offer a 3^rd-eye unbiased view of the customer experience. This is why a mystery shopping company hires only those professionals who have experience in doing the same in a particular industry.

They are given a questionnaire mentioning all the points to be covered. They visit the designated business points and do the survey. They do it discreetly and remain unrecognised throughout the journey. It is by walking on the path of a customer; they decide the levels of customer services offered and answer all the questions in that questionnaire.

Problems with mystery shoppers

1. Mystery shoppers are not customers

One of the biggest problems of mystery shoppers is that they are not customers. It means they are at the business points just to participate in the program and enlist data in the mystery shopping software. The real pain points of customer service can only be understood by a real user. They are auditors and researchers who can pretend like real customers to a considerable extent but not fully.

2. A mystery audit can take time

When a business loses its brand value, every week or month is valuable. During this period, a mystery audit can take valuable time to find out actionable insights. Mystery shoppers will need time to visit the locations and procure data. It will then be analyzed using analytics software to extract information related to the inconveniences and blind spots of customer service. It takes time to do so.

3. Might be expensive

Hiring a service provider and a team of mystery shoppers can be an expensive affair. Small retail businesses might have to spend a fortune to avail of one program of mystery shopping to evaluate their customer services. The service charges are based on the complexities, location and type of business.

4. No change in mystery audit once it begins

Once the audit begins, no changes can be made to the program. You will have to rely on what the mystery shoppers have fed to the questionnaires.

Verdict

These issues with mystery shopping can be easily resolved when an efficient service provider is hired for the job. The appointment of top professionals will lead to a quicker resolution of the project. The faster accomplishment of a mystery audit will result in creating actionable insights to implement and make customer service better. Hire an experienced service provider to reap the benefits of retail mystery shopping.