Have you stood in a queue that never seems to move? Perhaps desperately looked around a department store for an assistant, or rolled your eyes and muttered about poor service in a restaurant? If so there may be the perfect job for you. Why not apply for a position as a mystery shopper?
Like many good business ideas the shopaholic’s dream job started off in America. The chairman of a household name car manufacturer was losing customers to rivals. He couldn’t figure out the reason why. He ruled out superior car quality for his own company’s cars were as good as his competitors’. There had to be another reason. Could it be poor service?
Wasting no time in putting his theory to the test he quickly pulled together a team of what we now know as mystery shoppers. The only skill required was to pretend to be genuine buyers and report back on the service received.
Salesmen and Starving Children
His intuition proved right. Mystery shoppers, pretending to be genuine buyers, visited the company’s showrooms where they were often met by sales staff totally lacking in people skills let alone selling skills. No wonder customers were going to the outlets of other manufacturers where the staff did cartwheels to ensure the customer was king.
As a mystery shopper I visited four main dealer car showrooms. If I was expecting the hard sell I was soon proved wrong. The first was near perfect. He knew his job and listened to my needs. Taking his time he pointed out features of the car that fitted my requirements perfectly.
The second and third could not have sold sweets to a starving child. Indifferent? They invented the word. By the time a ‘salesmen’ condescended to approach and ask if he could be of assistance, without showing much enthusiasm, I was so annoyed I had already decided not to buy. The feeling was mutual as he clearly didn’t want to sell. One informed me they didn’t have the model I required in stock and turned on his heel. Hey! We are talking about a deal the size of many a worker’s annual salary.
Salesman of the Year
Visiting the fourth dealership I at last found the world’s best salesman. I did the talking, he did the listening. I knew just what I wanted; so it seemed did he. He had the perfect model to show me; my preferred colour no problem. He would even introduce me to a client who had already bought the same model.
He introduced me to his personal secretary who would always be there whether I phoned or called in. I was courteously shown the service bays and introduced to the team manager who would be responsible for maintaining my car. In the meantime a cup of tea was offered with biscuits too. I just didn’t want to leave this showroom. A hotel could have learned from it. There wasn’t a girlie calendar in sight. By the time we went for our test drive we were all friends, and yes, it was genuine.
What followed was the most delightful drive through the surrounding countryside imaginable as we talked through the car’s qualities. By the time we returned I was delighted with the car not to mention the superb service. In a lifetime of sales I had never been so impressed by a guy who was undoubtedly a contender for ‘Salesman of the Year.’
Sneak Shoppers?
Mission accomplished the mystery shopper as soon as practical will complete the paperwork, usually in his or her car. It may involves as many as 100 - 150 questions but surprisingly not too arduous. Each question is followed by several tick boxes as to response.
How long was it before you were approached? 1. Immediately. 2. Quickly. 3. Several minutes. 4. Not at all. Was the greeting courteous? 1. Very. 2. Yes. 3. Not particularly. 4. No. How would you describe the food? 1. Excellent. 2. Good. 3. Poor.
The paperwork is forwarded to the Mystery Shopper agency; evaluated and a report submitted to the agency’s clients. This helps them to identify problems through the customers’ eyes. They now have the opportunity to put matters right to prevent the haemorrhage of clients to rivals.
Popular with the Staff
Many services, department stores, main dealerships, utilities, use mystery shopper agencies to carry out spot checks. Does salespeople cringe at the thought of being spied upon during their day’s work? I approached teenage employees of a large electrical goods retailer. “Doesn’t this chain use mystery shoppers to check you guys out? It must be a real pain.”
I expected both to pull a face and make a few negative comments about sneaky snoopers. In fact both approved and told me that when it was quiet they passed the time guessing which of the customers might be a mystery shopper. They could see the benefits of the service. A successful store equals job security and promotion.
Do mystery shoppers actually improve your shopping experience? Ask yourself this question: How many retailers or other service providers do you boycott because of a bad experience? I can name a dozen; so can most people. Many a business owner spends a fortune on advertising to replace customers the staff disappointed. A company unaware of client disenchantment means a haemorrhage of buyers now spending their money with his competitors. If the service you receive is perfect, chances are a mystery shopper takes the credit.
It costs nine times as much to replace an alienated customer as it does to retain a single satisfied one. The most priceless asset a business can have is the happy customer. The cost of replacing a disapproving one costs far more than the fee paid to the mystery shopper. ©