Mystery shopping does have a benefit to the company but it is a slippery slope sometimes. In the experiences we have faced, more times than not they have been telephone contacts. I personally do not believe you can get a full grasp of a “shopping experience†via the phone interview.
That's right Susan, mystery shoppers allow an institution to gather unbiased data to help improve their processes or staff. Thank you for your post.
Using pre-determined criteria a mystery shopper can objectively evaluate the inner workings of the institution. The result is a dual benefit. First, the shopper will be able to (hopefully) re-affirm the quality service the institution provides. And second, present an opportunity to improve siting specific information gathered by the shopper.
I think most of us are naturally defensive. So, the person presenting the results of the shopper's visit will need to convince the employee(s)affected to stay positive and learn from the experience. In short, the shopper provides an opportuntiy for us to get better.
I think mystery shoppers offer objective feedback. Sometimes, we are not able to be objective with employees because we have too much history with them. An employee who is not always dressed professionally might be overlooked by management because they are seen as hard workers or have other valuable traits. An outsider may be able to point out important areas in need of improvement.
-Susan Coffey
Robert,
I think every student wants that feeling of fitting in and you're right, mystery shopping allows you the opportunity to understand the student's perspective to see if you're creating that feeling. Thank you for your post.
Dr. Jean Norris
I do believe mystery shoppers can benefit the company. We rely on our team to give the potential student a feeling of "being wanted" and "fitting in" so that they have a strong desire to attend our program.
Absolutely..Mystery shoppers are critical to improvments..It really haelps the staff fine tune or fix situations whether complaince or process
I think mystery shoppers can be very helpful in learning how you can improve customer service. It is very helpful to know what the customer thinks of the service they received and how they think that service could be improved.
Thanks for your post Uzma. You bring up a good point, it's easy to get caught up in our usual routine and we might not even know that we aren't doing things the best we can. Mystery shopping provides that objective view on your processes and procedures to help everyone be their best.
Mystery shoppers do benefit a company. Many times an organization may feel that they are doing things right, however, by having an outsider perspective and constructive criticism on how to improve is always beneficial.
i thins the mystery shopper provide an Unbiased point of view that could help your company improve the service level
Michael,
Great question! I would like to expand that question by asking - what ARE the benefits of having mystery shoppers approach your campus?
Dr. Jean Norris
