The importance of providing an exceptional customer experience is becoming more and more critical to attract and retain customers. I was pleased to see that many of the leaders in the industry, including Robert Keay, are expressing the value in conducting business mystery shops like The Hart Experience offers, in his recent article. Not only does The Hart Experience mystery shops give you true insight from your customer’s perspective, but we prepare a more comprehensive report than most companies offer. We go beyond the typical surveys that are rarely effective, as Robert Keay agrees. We work with you one-on-one to identify areas for improvement and take you step-by-step through setting goals and training to make sure employees and management have the knowledge and tools needed to provide customers with the best possible experience.

Robert goes on to say that mystery shopping is invaluable knowledge that every business needs. His full article aligns impeccably with The Hart Experience service offerings whose goal is to help businesses improve customer retention, reinforce training, build relationships, strengthen knowledge and boost profits.

What are the benefits of a mystery shopping program?

by Robert M. Keay

Human beings are funny creatures. We like to complain about things to our friends, but when presented with a survey we don’t always complete it honestly because it’s sometimes easier to just tick the “average” or “good” boxes and not come back.

If you want a transparent view of how your business or organization is doing, a mystery shopping program is a great way to do it. Once of the most successful franchises in the world, US burger chain Five Guys, puts their successes down to their team of mystery shoppers who visit their restaurants twice a week. Not only does this keep their employees on their toes, the mystery shoppers work through a checklist and grade the staff and store accordingly, giving a clear view of that all-important customer experience.

Using mystery shoppers can be invaluable for any business. It helps to detect any areas of weakness within your team and identify training needs, compare your services with the competition, monitor KPIs and measure the impact of any changes to your product lines or marketing campaigns. It can also help you to make sure that you’re providing the sort of service that works for all your customers, including those with disabilities.

Using this system wisely can make all staff feel engaged, and chances are they’ll want to beat their scores month on month- good for you, and great for your customers.

There are many benefits that can be gained from using a mystery shopping scheme, including:

Improves Customer Retention

It stands to reason that if customers have a good experience, they’ll want to come back for more.

Keeps Customer Service at the Forefront

If staff are used to being checked out by mystery shoppers, customer service will be a top priority at all times.

Reinforces Training

Most front-line staff receive training about customer service when they first start a new job, but that learning can get lost over time. Regular mystery shopping is a constant reminder of the things that make a great customer experience.

Builds Relationships

When customers feel like you see them as more than a number, they’ll come back- and when they come back, that can be the start of a long term and mutually beneficial relationship.

Strengthens knowledge

As part of mystery shopping program staff will be asked questions about products and services. If they’re committed to doing well as work and working as a team, keeping their knowledge up to date will become ingrained.

Boosts profits                      

We all know that more customers mean bigger profits, so if you can provide an outstanding customer experience which builds loyalty and retention it stands to reason that this will have a knock-on effect on your income.

Mystery shopping provides you with a clear insight into the way customers think and feel, which can help you build an effective long-term strategy and stay one step ahead of your competitors.

If you are ready to improve your customer experiences and increase profits in 2018 we can help you move forward… Contact Debbie Hart at The Hart Experience 602-717-3271 | Debbie@thehartexperience.com | https://thehartexperience.com

Our Customer Promise:

We treat you and your employees as part of our team!

When you work with The Hart Experience, you’ll receive:

♦Honest, open communications ♦Timely feedback and constructive criticism ♦Goal achievement