A single visit may be affected by staff rush or staff shortages, resulting in a visit that does not match the average customer experience. It is advisable to make several visits to each branch of the chain, at different times and by different mystery shoppers. Mystery shopping at the right scale is an investment that, at best, will result in a significant improvement in customer service.
When the survey is conducted at a sufficient scale and the questions are formulated correctly, the result is quantitative data that can be used to compare different outlets and vendors. Sometimes mystery shopping reveals isolated anomalies. Of course, these need to be looked at, but rather than focusing on an individual experience, we try to find trends in the data.
Simply commissioning a mystery shopper is like asking "how are you?" but not listening to the answer. For the input to be useful, the results of the mystery shopping must lead to follow-up action. If the results are nothing but praise, be sure to reward everyone involved. If there is room for improvement, there is room for further training, individual or team sparring or at least a refresher course on old lessons.
Improving the customer service experience is always, above all, a cultural change. When a trainer refers to genuine, irrefutable research findings, staff will see the need for change themselves. Together, we can offer concrete solutions!