Mystery Shopping Reports versus Customer Satisfaction Surveys. What you need to know…..
7th January 2019, by Angela Bartlett
7th January 2019, by Angela Bartlett
Mystery shopping and customer satisfaction are two different things and it’s easy to get the two mixed up. Both have their place within a successful business and both have enormous value in staying ahead of the competition.
In a nutshell, a customer satisfaction survey will measure how well you are doing things as a company compared to the clients' expectations.
On the other hand mystery shopping measures how well you are doing things compared to your company standards or industry benchmarks.
Before embarking on a mystery shopping programme it is essential to have in place what you want your customers or clients to experience in your business. What is your company ethos? Is it important that services are carried out quickly and competently? Do you want your clients to experience a leisurely journey with an emphasis on relaxation? What is the client journey supposed to look like to the customer? If you do not have a clear indication of what you want your clients to experience then it is difficult to assess if your staff are delivering to those standards. If you don’t have something in place then we can direct you to an expert who can help you with your specific requirements.
You will find that there is usually a difference in the language that is used between reports and surveys. In Customer or Client Satisfaction Surveys we frequently see phrases such “I was pleased with the way the room looked”, “I felt cared for” or “I was disappointed with the way the treatment was carried out”. This type of phrasing is very subjective and specific to the Customer and is often difficult to interpret as what one client means by feeling ‘cared for’ can be quite different to another client. A Mystery Shopper will be far more objective with their reporting language and use phrases such as “the treatment environment complied to industry standards”, “my comfort levels were checked, I was offered a bolster to go under my knees during the treatment and I was offered water and herbal tea at the end of the treatment” or “the treatment complied with treatment procedure guidelines as specified by the company”. This is very helpful language to assess how well staff members are performing and whether your business guidelines are being adhered to.
A good introduction to our reporting system is to sample it with mystery shopping front of house telephone calls. We can add criteria such as ‘how many rings it took before the telephone was answered’, ‘how many it hours/days it took before the mystery shoppers voicemail was answered’, ‘what the tone and pace of the staff members voice was like on the telephone’, ‘did the member of staff outline the company cancellation policy’ etc. Hidden Beauty UK’s reports can be tailored to suit you and your business needs.
We look forward to working with you! Get in touch to find out more.
For more beauty related articles, review our latest beauty news - or perhaps take a look at this earlier article (from 21st December 2018): " Our top 3 tips for client consultation "
About Angela Bartlett:
Angela Bartlett is an expert in the health, beauty and skincare industry with over 35 years' experience. As a high profile individual, she is passionate about the high-quality treatments, procedures and products in the beauty industry and is linked with leading industry bodies whose aim is to advance standards in beauty and holistic therapies. Based in Cheshire, Angela operates Hidden Beauty nationwide across the UK to support beauty industry businesses in their business development. To learn more about Angela and her accreditations, don't hesitate to get in touch.
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