Customer engagement and satisfaction are the core of the success of any business. So, to sustain it to the maximum, Mystery Shopping plays a vital role. Mystery Shopping is also recognized by other names such as Covert Inspections or Secret Shopping. It acts as a significant channel for the measurement of the customer experience. But suppose you are wondering What is Mystery Shopping, then this guide will help you acquaint yourself with its concept and four types. Please stay tuned to get this beneficial information.
Mystery Shopping – An Overview
It is a well-known fact that humans work differently when they are observed. It makes them more focused, polished, and keener on their work. Mystery Shopping works on this principle.
Therefore, defining Mystery Shopping is a process of testing the quality of products and services. It also aids in measuring and evaluating employee performance and customer service quality. The professionals who conduct the Mystery Shopping with the help of the Mystery Shopping Program are called Mystery Shoppers. They have been employed to visit the respective company’s location, such as a restaurant, hotel, retail store, etc., to evaluate and measure customer experience quality.
Mystery Shopping plays a major role in evaluating the competition and supports the company to stay ahead. The other primary advantage of Mystery Shopping is that it helps assess the gaps in the training of the company staff. It also facilitates boosting the customer experience.
Types of Mystery Shopping
Now, since you get acquainted with What is Mystery Shopping, let us enumerate its four types below:
1. Telephone Mystery Shopping: How companies interact and engage with customers has rapidly transformed. The advent of chats, apps, etc., has changed the entire scenario. Similarly, sometimes, a phone call is the customers’ first interaction with the company. So, it plays a crucial role in retaining them. With Telephone Mystery Shopping, the Mystery Shoppers call the business to assess the experience level. Therefore, this type of Mystery Shopping is highly valuable for Call Centers, Information Technology, Hotels, Travel, and Tourism.
2. In-Person Mystery Shopping: During the In-Person Mystery Shopping Program, the Mystery Shoppers visit the business to conduct audits on the respective locations to measure the business and employee performance. Here, the shopper presents themselves as a customer. Various industries use this method, such as Banking, Health Care, Fitness, Restaurants, Hotels, etc.
3. Virtual Mystery Shopping: Mystery Shoppers interact with the brand online. Virtual Mystery Shopping is extremely beneficial for analyzing the responsiveness of businesses online. It also helps comprehend how businesses engage with their customers on social media. The industries that can be benefitted from the Virtual Mystery Shopping Program are Real Estate, E-commerce, Travel, Telecommunications, and many others.
4. Omnichannel Mystery Shopping: Sometimes, enterprises need all types of Mystery Shopping. In that scenario, Omnichannel Mystery Shopping plays a significant role. It is prevalent in Banking, Health Care, Real Estate, Automotive, and others.
The Bottom Line
Secret Shopping is the most prominent method of evaluating the customer experience, wherein the professionals are recruited as real customers. They prepare an extensive report, which helps the companies analyze how well the staff performs. Now that you have learned about What is Mystery Shopping, then, you can avail yourself of the services from Intouch Insight, one of the recognized Mystery Shopping Services providers. Stand firm and work with operational excellence with the help of their Secret Shopping Services.
