Angel,
They can really help to see areas of greatness and improvement, you are correct! Thank you for sharing.
Dr. Jean Norris
Ashley,
Excellent point. Thank you for sharing this in the forum!
Dr. Jean Norris
Mystery shoppers are helpful in pointing out the areas in which we are strong and the areas that need improvement.
I think Mystery Shoppers are a great idea. They are able to see the good and the bad. They are able to tell us what customers like about our processes and services as well as letting us know what needs improvement. For example, an employee might think that he/she is doing a great job but from a customer's standpoint, it might not be the best service and a Mystery Shopper will be able to determine the level of customer service given.
David,
Great insight. How else do you think your institution would benefit from Mystery Shoppers?
Dr. Jean Norris
Yes I definitely believe it helps. Keeping staff 'on guard' is always good... but I think the bigger benefit is that by alway being 'on guard', that state of working then becomes your norm. There should no longer be a potential to let your guard down.
Matthew,
Great attitude! And many times the findings are positive too!
Dr. Jean Norris
yes they do benefit the company. Often times we get caught up in day to day business and loose sight of where we need improvements.
You bring up a valid point Gregory and that's why working with a mystery shopping company that understands your industry and policy is important. How have you seen mystery shops help the company?
Dr. Jean Norris
I believe Mystery Shoppers can be of real value to a company if the person conducting the mystery shopping is trained to do correctly. I have seen it both ways and sometimes it can do more harm than good when the person being shopped has correctly done things within company policy and the shopper states otherwise.
Robert,
Excellent points! Even when doing things well, there are always opportunities to "tweak" and be proactive. Does your organization use mystery shopping now? If so, can you share some of the things (generally) you have learned?
Dr. Jean Norris
Without a doubt Mystery Shoppers provide valuable insight as to how your processes work first hand how well employee training is working and where improvements and further education are needed. Stopping problems before the become wide spread customers issues is one on it's greatest benefits
Lora,
Great point! In fact, our firm conducts tens of thousands of mystery shops across the country and there are a lot of good practices that should be celebrated! Mystery shopping isn't just about what is bad or wrong! You bring up great points in terms of learning from those things that could be improved (but you have to know what that is right)? :)
Dr. Jean Norris
It truly depends on the "quality" of shoppers used and the delivery of the reporting. I have worked in companies where they will not give you the results, simply that they were bad. What good is that? My current school shares information openly which is very helpful.
Great point Stuart. What would mystery shoppers see if they visited your school?
Dr. Jean Norris
Mystery shoppers will definitely benefit our school & any other business. All customers should be treated with respect and be treated to excellent customer service regardless of what they look like & what they believe in. If mystery shoppers came to my school, our administration will see that some people need to undergo major customer service training and some might have to be let go. Times are changing (mostly for the better) and with that, we must adjust our thoughts, processes & be open to change.
I believe mystery shoppers do benefit my company because it evaluates us during the actual act of providing customer service. It can show us our strengths and weakness of our customer service. It gives us a base line to work from to always improve.
Wayne,
What a positive attitude you have! Some are fearful of mystery shopping and yet others, like yourself, see it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Congratulations!
Dr. Jean Norris
A huge advantage of mystery shopping can help me personally by helping to improve my business awareness. Looking through a different set of eyes is always a great experience, both good and bad!
Good point Wayne, sometimes we do need to put ourselves in the shoes of others to consider the benefits of accountability tools like mystery shopping. How does mystery shopping help you personally?
