Abstract:

The purpose of mystery shopping studies is to help focus the attention of business management on customer service improvement by providing information on the operations and the quality of service it is providing.Mystery shopping studies can comprise the simple factual observation of points of sale or services focusing particularly on signage, cleanliness, waiting time, response time, commercial signage, the state of equipment in use, adherence to the company’s standards etc. It might also extend as far as making a purchase or enquiry, where the evaluator acts as if he or she was an actual or potential customer, on the basis of a simple or more complicated scenario.Mystery shopping studies involve the use of mystery shoppers who are trained and/or briefed to observe, experience and measure any customer service process by acting as a prospective customer and undertaking a series of pre-determined tasks to assess performance against specific criteria, reporting back on their experiences in a comparable and consistent way.