The Benefits of Mystery Shopping Programs May Surprise You!
One never knows what may be uncovered with a mystery shop program. One company Confero has worked with for many years found an unexpected benefit – reduced accidents in addition to customer service improvements. Originally, the mystery shop program was designed as a customer service program.
A national fast oil change service engaged Confero to conduct periodic mystery shop visits at its units. In the program design process, various departments of the oil change service were asked about what they would like to see on the shop survey.
As a result, several questions about safety procedures were added to the survey. The assumption was that, while a Confero shopper would be on site anyway, why not ask the shopper to check for several safety-related issues while the shopper is assessing customer service.
Unexpected Benefits: Reduced Accidents
The combined customer service and safety check mystery shopping program was a success! As expected, it identified areas of opportunity for customer service improvement. However, a significant side benefit emerged with the safety checks. As store employees realized the emphasis on safety, the required safety measures were apparently undertaken more regularly. As they were designed and should always have been.
The quick reports Confero provided allowed store managers to quickly remediate any safety deficiencies. As a result of Confero’s combined mystery shop program, the oil change company saw a significant decline in the number of accidents. Hence, this lead to significant savings for the company.
In the end, Confero’s mystery shopping program assisted with customer service, employee safety and delivered cost savings!
