Looking for ways to enhance customer experience in your store?
15% of shopping being done online these days. That doesn't mean you can ignore how things are going in your brick-and-mortar store.
Hiring Mystery Shopping services is a great way to have an impartial third party that's also an expert in customer service and store efficiency. This can help you evaluate how your store is being run when you're not there.
Keep reading to learn more about how Mystery Shopping can enhance customer experience.
What Is Mystery Shopping?
Mystery shopping allows you to enhance customer experience. It provides an unbiased (sometimes harsh) evaluation of what your in-store experience is like to the average customer.
An expert is hired to shop in your stores, at an unannounced time. They give you a genuine evaluation of what's working and what needs improving.
It Allows You To Monitor Employees
Are your employees doing their best? Are they treating every customer with the same level of respect and attention they deserve, no matter the size of the sale?
Mystery shopping is a great way to enhance customer experience and consistently review your staff's performance. Mystery shoppers can answer questions employers often have, such as:
How are your employees interacting with customers?
Are they providing them with help, or are they on their phones?
Have they implemented the new sales techniques you created to boost sales?
Are they using the language of the company in pitching?
It's a good idea to tell your employees you'll be trying Mystery Shopping because it builds trust. Plus, since they don't know when to expect the guest, an announcement of a coming visit from a mystery shopper (at an undisclosed date) leads to better performance every day, things that enhance customer experience.
You Can Analyze Your Competitors
It's not just your own store that can benefit from Mystery Shopping. Send a representative to visit your competitor's shop.
Learn what they're doing to enhance customer experience, check out their pricing structures, and see if you can find a niche market or need they're not meeting.
Learn What Customers Really Think Of Your Brand/Store
Mystery shopping also gives you the opportunity to interact with customers directly.
Ask them questions, assess if the shopping experience is in line with their expectations and brand perception to enhance customer experience.
You Can Evaluate The Store Itself
One of the best ways to enhance customer experience? Having a mystery shopper evaluate the effectiveness of the store itself.
This can mean basic things like making sure the store is clean. But we're evaluating if your Point of Sale and Point of Purchase displays are effective, checking out your store's floor plan, examining the displays, and a lot more.
Even lighting and colors you use in your store can have an effect psychologically on what products your customers buy - so how your store looks can really boost sales.
Use Mystery Shopping To Enhance Customer Experience
Now you know all the tips and tricks on how to use Mystery Shopping to enhance customer service - leading to better brand interaction, more sales, and more satisfied customers.
To learn more about how to keep your store above your competitor's, keep checking back with our blog, and reach out to us to hire a mystery shopper for your store.
