MiCOMPLIANCE

What is Mystery Shopping?

In simple terms, mystery shopping is a process in which a person visits a shop or an outlet with the sole aim of evaluating the services/products offered by the shop or the outlet Mystery shopping is an effective and a proven tool used by organizations to improve customer service and in effect improve customer satisfaction to grow customer base

The employees working in the retail outlets are the human link between the organization's brand and its customers, having an energetic team to represent the brand stands for through careful engagement, brand & product performance, and effective customer service are the very foundation on which customer experience is built.

The communication done to build the brand image through various touch points should be reflected in the services given by the staff in the outlets and mystery shopping will ensure that there is no gap between the brand performance and the brand communication, which would lead to a stronger brand image in the market

Mystery shopping helps in finding out what is happening in practice at points of sale and in the identification of areas of improvement. The mystery shopping results equip organizations with the knowledge required to address the specific improvement areas by each outlet, organizations can act immediately with action plans with their employees. To ensure that the desired results were delivered by the action taken, it is important, to do the second round of mystery shopping followed by retail audits where each outlet will be audited with the knowledge of staff

Mystery Shopping can also be implemented in the competition's outlets as well

It will help in remaining update with the industry standards along with specific information on how the competition is responding to the changing demands of customers, what are their ongoing offers and what are their relative strengths vis-a-vis competition

MiCOMPLIANCE can be used for various purposes :

Staff training & development :

Greater sales results are the results of great customer service, but it is to be noted that the guidelines or standard operating procedures formulated at the head office should properly be implemented and effectively executed by each employee of the organization across the outlets in all the geographies. To more easily identify the specific improvement areas, it is recommended to use our mystery shopping research tool called MiCOMPLIANCE

For distributors & retailers :

Distributors and retailers are an important part of supply chain and thus it is very important to keep an eye on them. Determine which brand is suggested by a salesperson for a particular category to the customer when the customer enquires or make a purchase. As per the objective of the research the mystery shopping will be designed in a way to identify the key brands recommended by a retailer or a distributor and how they advocate that brand, their product/service knowledge, about terms & conditions and other warranty claims. This type of mystery shopping technique can also be used as a checkpoint of sale touch-points, exhibits, stock and visibility of products for a regular customer. Based on the findings corrective actions can be taken so that the sales team addresses the key issues important for the retailers/distributors

To check work ethics :

Ethics is a system of moral principles and values followed by organization and its staff which form part of the core values of the brand. Business ethics ensure that a certain required level of trust exists between consumers and other stakeholders with businesses. proper implementation of ethical practices regarding potentially controversial issues, such as insider trading, bribery, discrimination, fraud, etc.. Business ethics provide a basic framework that employees must follow to gain public acceptance of the organization's brand

Mystery shopping research helps in examining ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. Monitoring ethical, and unethical practices are what is used to guide businesses and establish their brand in the market

It is very useful for the organizations that provide personal services (hairdressers, masseurs, beauticians, car mechanics, maids, babysitter, etc.): to see whether their employees adhere to ethical principles and do not offer their services to customers at home or do undeclared work.

To verify the integrity of employees :

Do employees adhere to all the standard operating procedures set by the organization for e.g. with regard to invoicing? writing accounts by hand rather than issuing a computer-printed receipt or greeting the customers...).

To verify B2B business :

Mystery shopping research solution like personal visits, phone calls, and online interaction can easily be implemented in Business to Business (B2B) scenario

Mystery shopping is generally associated with B2C segment however, mystery shopping can effectively be implemented in the B2B segment. In the B2B segment, the stakes are higher as each customer is important

In the B2B segment, the relationship plays the major role and for that reason, it is important to measure business customer service levels and shoppers act as companies to evaluatethe services and products e.g. acting like a retailer who are placing orders, or consultants who are ordering products/services on behalf of their clients.

Measuring B2B customer experience is complicated and understanding the customer's journey in a B2B environment takes more finesse. The planning stages of beginning a B2B mystery shopping research takes more efforts initially and the role of the client is critical

For the purposes of internal training of employees :

Close monitoring of the interaction between the employees and the customers helps in identifying the weak points in the sales process and service process, level of knowledge and communication with the customers (in person, online and on the phone).

This helps in designing training material or session for the employees which would surely pay off in practice in improving the relationship with the customers.

Mukraj-Insights aims to provide clients with impartial feedback on their employees, products, and services. That way they can see where there might be problems and make the necessary changes to improve things.

MiCOMPLIANCE is a mystery shopping research solution where we offer insights based on the information collected by well trained and motivated mystery shoppers/auditors. MiCOMPLIANCE team is well-trained to pose themselves as a regular customer so that they get the true picture of the outlet, they can easily put themselves in the shoes of the customer and can identify the expectation and delivery gap

As a first step, we understand your business and the standard operating procedures (SOPs) that need to be followed in the organization as well as in the industry through secondary research as well as in-depth interviews with the senior professionals in your organization to design a feedback form which can be effectively used for quality control purpose.

The second step is to make the visit at the required outlet to collect all the feedback. MiCOMPLIANCE offers a strong and reliable team of mystery shoppers who are associated with us. MiGFT captures the complete profile of the mystery shoppers and provides them with a platform where they can log in and remain updated with training, assignments and can directly communicate with the researcher

MiCOMPLIANCE offers a platform where with the help of an interactive map, we can easily identify the eligible mystery shopper near to the outlet and can efficiently manage all the projects across the region and the clients can get a real-time update about the status of the project

MiCOMPLIANCE platform is an efficient platform through which we can execute projects in a fast and cost-effective way which allows us to complete numerous shops each month with high quality

MiCOMPLIANCE ensures that you get the true picture of the shop and we provide all the evidence for all the findings so that the clients can give specific feedback to a particular outlet and accordingly corrective actions can be taken.

Our team of mystery shoppers is well spread across India, the Middle East & Africa region so that we ensure that we can cover the most populated as well as the least populated cities of each country, thus, MiCOMPLIANCE will never leave any remote location and MiCOMPLIANCE has been helping other mystery shopping companies to cover the difficult locations since its inception

MiCOMPLIANCE never outsource even a single shop to other suppliers as we believe in our ever-increasing network of mystery shoppers who are capable of conducting mystery shopping in the most remote place (even near the border) in India, the Middle East & Africa Region

Our mystery shopper includes college students, housewives, working professionals, businessman, government officials, senior professionals, etc. which makes us capable of conducting mystery shopping for regular as well as premium products/services

MiCOMPLIANCE aims to provide actionable and specific feedback :

Check Store Presentation and Sales Material Performance :

This one is particularly useful for retailers or any business with a physical storefront. If you've ever wondered if your shop is kept in clean condition, or if the marketing material provided is correctly displayed, this is something that a mystery shopping program can help discover.

Evaluate How Staff is Performing :

Do you ever wonder if that last wave of customer service training actually had an impact? Why not use mystery shopping to check? By sending in mystery shoppers you can evaluate how your staff is living up to your brand promises, managing complaints, and dealing with customers in general. Mystery shopping can also provide an HR department with actionable insights on individual or group staff performance.

Get to know how Customers perceive your brand :

When customers come into your store or search for your business online, what do they think about your brand? Has your latest CSR push made the difference you were hoping for? Is your brand living up to its promise? Brand perception is more than just brand image, it's about the buying process, the entire customer experience. By using mystery shoppers, you can see how customers experience your brand and the processes they go through to make a purchase.

Test Functionality of Internal Procedures and SOPs :

One of the best mystery shopping program benefits is the ability to test internal functions. How do internal systems and standard operating procedures work? Does staff find them easy to implement, are they even using them, or do they not work as well in action as they did on paper? Mystery shopping can also check to see if maybe your SOPs need to be updated.

Analyze the Competition :

Knowing where you stand in relation to your primary competitors is the first step to position the brand in the market. Mystery shopping the competition can provide you with detailed analysis to see how your business can perform better and even outstrip your rivals. Use a good mystery shopping program to help you carve out your own niche in a highly competitive industry, no matter what that industry might be.

Mystery shopping research solution can be used to monitor & control a variety of aspects of the organization. A well-designed mystery shopper program addresses each touchpoint and simulates the way customers interact with your brand. Currently, there are four common types of mystery shopping:

• In-Person visit mystery shopping
• Telephonic mystery shopping
• Online mystery shopping
• Multiple touchpoints or hybrid mystery shopping

In-Person visit mystery shopping :

When it comes to mystery shopping the most popular format is in-person visit mystery shopping where a trained shopper visits a location as a regular customer and evaluates the products/services offered by the outlet as per the mystery shopping guidelines. The duration of visits depends on the quantum of information required from each visit and the visits need to be done during the operating hours of the outlet.

A shopper needs to be careful while posing himself or herself as a regular customer without causing any suspicion. In-person visit mystery shopping is mostly implemented in the following types of industries

• Automotive
• Banking
• Education
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Fitness
• Gas Station
• Retail
• Wellness & Spa

Telephonic mystery shopping :

Telephone mystery shopping is prevalent in call centre type of set up and in industries that communicate with customers through a phone call and a phone is the primary source of communication. In this type of mystery shopping, a shopper is supposed tocall the customer care representative to evaluate the interaction and the feedback plays an important role in quality and training the customer care representative.

Telephonic mystery shopping is mostly implemented in the following types of industries

• Call Centers
• Information Technology
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Restaurant (Phone delivery or Pick-up)
• Transport
• Travel & Tourism
• Telecommunications

Online Mystery Shopping to evaluate the online presence :

Model, Measure and Manage the Customer Experience across the Web and Online platform by implementing online mystery shopping solution

Online mystery shopping is conducted by shoppers who pose themselves as an online shopper to evaluate the response of an organization online by checking the website and its navigation or how they interact with customers on social media. By evaluating websites, as well as customer service online, shoppers can easily work from their home, while still providing valuable feedback to companies.

When most of the businesses are present online, then online mystery shopping is relevant as it can be valuable and informative for any business with an online presence, but the most common industries are:

• Automotive
• E-Commerce
• Entertainment
• Restaurant
• Travel
• Telecommunications
• Real Estate

Multiple Touchpoint or Hybrid Mystery Shopping :

Nowadays businesses are present through multiple channels (traditional as well as digital channels) and thus these businesses have to ensure that the customers are getting similar experience through all the touchpoints. Thus, it is important to keep a check on each of the touchpoints which can be achieved through hybrid mystery shopping where mystery shoppers following an entire customer journey - from the internet to the telephone to a live experience through an in-person visit

Hybrid mystery shopping is most common in the following industries :

• Automotive
• Banking
• Education
• Health Care
• Hospitality
• Real Estate
• Telecommunication
• Travel