How to organize a "Mystery Shopper" check in your store
03.01.2023 10:08
"It is good to shoot a deer with a bow from a long distance. The deer does not suspect anything. But here's the trouble: it can easily miss. Those who are afraid of missing, try to get closer.
Get closer to the deer and you will not miss.
...
If something is broken, open the lid, look inside.
If you don't find someone, look for them yourself.
If they say something is written, read it yourself.
If they say it's delicious, try it.
If they say that they have not made it, check if they have.
Do not start acting on a signal, whose probability is not verified. Everything that you can check yourself, check yourself.
Come in. Open it. Look in. Come over. Inspect for yourself. Try to press it yourself. Touch it with your hand. Go up to the attic. Look under the wheels. See for yourself. Meet in person".
From the book "Technology of Life. A book for heroes", business coach, author of management books, founder of Tallinn School of Management.
If you are running a competitive business, and every contact with customers is important for you - "get closer to the deer", and try to use the technique of checking your sellers - "Mystery Shopping".
There are big profits behind the first-class service. Who can organize such a service to customers, he has every chance to be the first in his niche.
What are the benefits of Mystery Shopping for the store, and how to conduct it correctly?
Who is a mystery shopper?
The method of assessing the quality of service "Mystery Shopper" (from English - Shopper, Secret Shopper) appeared in the United States in the 40s of the last century. However, it has been known since the Roman Empire, when merchants sent their fake buyers to the market square to identify dishonest sellers. In Ukraine, this technique as part of the marketing strategy began to be actively used in early 2000.
Mystery shoppers in the guise of ordinary visitors come to a shop, cafe, bank or pharmacy - a place where service is provided and where the owners are interested in improving it - and check the quality of customer service by sellers.
By the way, there is even an association of mystery shoppers - MSPA. It has developed a Code of Professional Standards for Mystery Shoppers, which establishes general rules of verification that are mandatory for all members of the institution. The Association includes 150 companies from different countries. According to MSPA, about 90% of retail chains, 70% of financial institutions and 90% of restaurants use the mystery shopping technique in their sales system to motivate staff and improve customer service.
Mystery shopper's mission
Why do we need a mystery shopper? Such checks help to form or refine the standards of service in the store, identify weaknesses in the communication of managers with customers, and get an objective picture of sales.
If you do not yet have such standards, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the principles of inspections from well-known Western retailers. You can supplement them based on your own experience and sales practices adopted in your company.
What parameters should a mystery shopper check in the store?
A checklist, or an example of a mystery shopper questionnaire, by which he can evaluate the key parameters of the staff:
Design of the workplace
- Cleanliness near the store and in the trading floor.
- Layout of goods, order on racks, shelves, hangers.
- Availability of price tags.
- Availability and placement of promotional materials.
Requirements for employees
- Appearance - the state of the uniform, grooming of hair, hands, clothes, shoes.
- Smell of sweat, strong perfume, cigarettes, etc.
- Voice and culture of speech - diction, coherence of speech, use of jargon, parasite words.
Behavior of employees
- Friendliness, manner of communication with customers.
- Reactions to questions and remarks of the buyer.
- The mood of the seller, his attitude to dialogue.
- The quality of the conversation - the ability to interest the client, give convincing arguments, examples, ask the right questions and smoothly lead to the purchase.
Skills and abilities of sellers
At this point, the mystery shopper checks how sellers are able to apply sales techniques in accordance with the classic stages in trade:
- establishing contact,
- ability to recognize the customer's problem and highlight exactly those characteristics of the product that will contribute to its solution,
- presentation of the product,
- skills to work with objections of customers, "problem" customers, up-selling - the use of techniques to increase the average check up-sell, cross-sell, completion of the transaction.
How to prepare a Mystery Shopping visit
The procedure for preparing a mystery shopper visit to the store is simple and consists of several stages:
1. Formation of a list of questions or a mystery shopper questionnaire.
2. Selection of candidates for the role of Mystery Shopper.
3. Passing online testing of selected candidates for knowledge of the instructions. If necessary - you should additionally conduct a mini-interview by phone.
4. Conducting an audit by a mystery shopper, including: recording audio conversations, photos of the location, recording important moments and details of the visit, saving receipts - in accordance with the approved instructions.
5. Drawing up a mystery shopper review, forming a report for the store.
During the inspection process, the mystery shopper may have additional questions, for example, whether it is necessary to create or provoke a special situation, such as to pick on the quality of the goods, to doubt the authenticity of the brand, to buy and immediately return the goods. Therefore, it is better to add these points to the instruction so that Mystery Shopper behaves naturally and does not arouse suspicion on the part of respondents.
Professionals advise making the scenarios of visits for mystery shoppers typical, which would not cause doubts among sellers. Otherwise, the "auditors" may be recognized, and the inspection will not correspond to reality.
Who can become a mystery shopper?
Now on the Internet you can find a lot of queries on the search and job offers of Secret Shopper. For example, "I am looking for a job as a secret shopper in Kyiv". The capital attracts many people looking for a high-paying position. However, now such offers can be found in almost any city of Ukraine, where companies are trying to work despite the war and care about customer service.
Many retailers and retail stores of different directions are interested in specialists who would know the nuances of the work of a secret visitor, be well oriented in sales, have a good memory and be able to identify all the important details.
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