Internet Merchandising Systems

Employee Courtesy and Knowledge Are Most Important Customer Service Components

More Than 3,500 Mystery Shoppers Weigh In On Current Customer Service Trends

Businesses wanting to increase customer loyalty should focus training efforts on employee courtesy and employee knowledge, according to more than 3,500 mystery shoppers who participated in a customer service trends survey conducted by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).

The mystery shoppers who took part in the survey spend a combined 90,000 hours per month conducting 65,000 evaluations.

Mystery shoppers are consumers who anonymously and objectively evaluate customer service, operations, merchandising, product quality and other elements of the customer experience.

While an overwhelming 93 percent of the mystery shoppers felt employee courtesy and employee knowledge were the important elements to creating a pleasant customer experience, shoppers said their in-store experience with employee courtesy and knowledge was hit-or-miss.

On the positive side, more than 52 percent of the mystery shoppers said employee courtesy and employee knowledge most consistently receive high scores during their evaluations. However, the businesses that didn't receive high scores with employee courtesy and employee knowledge were the ones that needed the most help - more than 38 percent said employee courtesy and knowledge were the areas they most consistently see low scores.

Another area where businesses seem to fall short of standards: up-selling. Nearly half (46 percent) of mystery shoppers reported up-selling as the element in which they most often see businesses lacking.

"Mystery Shopping programs are management tools that aid companies in evaluating their customer service. Mystery shopping identifies which critical operational policies are carried out in practice and which areas are in need of improvement," said John Swinburn MSPA Executive Director. "Steps to improve employee knowledge and courtesy, as well as suggesting a complimentary item at the point of sale, all translate to a better customer experience, and ultimately, prompts that consumer to visit a business again."

Another positive, 74 percent of shoppers noted they have seen an improvement in total customer service at the locations they have shopped in the past year, with the most shops conducted in the restaurant (40 percent) and retail (41 percent) industries.

---