Right now, you are likely being forced to bring on a lot of new staff members as you recover from a year of Covid-related turmoil. New staff can often lead to a decline in customer service that needs to be watched and, while you may want to be easy with them out of the gate, you can’t let that happen. This is when mystery shopping comes in.
Find out more about the benefits of mystery shopping in this guide and see how it could improve your customer experience.
Check That Your Training Worked
Training new staff is vital if you want to run an efficient, welcoming business. Without the right training, your staff won’t know how to interact with customers, how to help them when they need it, and what to do if something goes wrong. Whether you’re a tiny clothing store or a large chain restaurant, your staff needs to know these things.
But, even with a brilliant training program, how do you know it’s working? Maybe your training isn’t quite as understandable as you think, or not all of your staff have taken it on board. A great way to monitor this is with mystery shopping.
By having someone undercover who knows your procedures, they can spot where your training might not have been adopted by new staff. This doesn’t mean that you have bad staff necessarily, but simply that they need more training or a different approach to training.
Find Bad Staff During Their Probation
Signing your staff onto a probation period is a great way to hire people without too much commitment. If it doesn’t work out, you can let them go without making as much of a big deal. But, it’s vital that your new staff are properly monitored during their probation to make the most of it.
Mystery shopping is a brilliant way to do this. Staff may act professionally when you’re around, but how do they behave when you’re not? If there’s a member of your staff that isn’t working as hard or being as welcoming to your customers when you’re not there, a mystery shopper is bound to spot them!
By separating the good from the bad early on, you can create a much better team of permanent staff for the long haul.
Don’t Scare New Staff
Monitoring new staff is absolutely essential when improving customer service. But, it can be a little off-putting as a new employee to be constantly monitored and watched by other staff. Too many one-to-ones and feedback sheets and your new staff might jump ship before they’ve even got going!
With mystery shopping, you can monitor them without them knowing. This is a great way to help them feel more comfortable and trusted in their role, letting them get on with it and make the job their own, without the pressure of knowing they’re being watched. It may sound cheeky, but it’s a lot better than constantly looking over the shoulders of your new staff.
Review Your Own Procedures
Mystery shopping isn’t just about keeping an eye on your staff. While that is a large part of how mystery shopping works, it’s actually more about looking at your whole business and what’s working and what isn’t. That means that while you’re observing your new staff, you can also check out your own procedures and make sure you’re doing just as well as your new employees.
For example, your mystery shopper can give you feedback on your training procedures. Perhaps you’ve been a bit too rigorous with a script and it makes your staff seem a little robotic, or they’re too intense when it comes to selling because of goals you have in place. It’s not always the staff who are at fault when a mystery shopper has feedback to give, so bear that in mind!
Prevent Negative Reviews
Your online reviews are a huge reflection of your brand, and people searching for you will use them to make a snap judgment. If you can prevent negative reviews, you’ll have a much more enticing online presence, helping your audience gain trust in you. By hiring a mystery shopper, you can spot the areas of your service that could lead to bad reviews before your customers do, giving you time to fix them!