Make More Sales: Mystery Shopping and the Power of Specificity

April 21, 2009

I found out about the power of specificity when a store manager telephoned to complain about a mystery shopping report. The mystery shopper had said that suggestive selling had not been done, but the manager disagreed. He claimed his staff member should get the points for suggestive selling because he was present at the time [...]

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Does Mystery Shopping Measure the Customer Experience?

April 14, 2009

A customer experience is what the customer says it is. Not what mystery shoppers say it is. Mystery shoppers get paid to shop. Customers pay to shop. What mystery shoppers do well is measure processes and standards. Mystery shoppers will tell you if the processes that create the customer experience have met your pre-determined standards, [...]

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Does Mystery Shopping Accurately Measure Delays?

April 9, 2009

The measurement of delays by mystery shopping is a key metric. It’s a given that acknowledgement times, on hold times, and service times appear in virtually all mystery shopping reports. As C. Northcote Parkinson, author of the best seller, Parkinson’s Law, famously said, “delay is the deadliest form of denial.” But does mystery shopping accurately [...]

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Confessions of a Mystery Shopper: Does Great Customer Service Create Competitive Advantage Part 3?

March 20, 2009

Famed marketer Jack Trout says that service is a given – not a difference. Trout points to the work of Michael Porter, Professor of Business at Harvard University for the explanation as to why “better service,” or “better anything” for that matter, does not create competitive advantage. Porter makes a clear distinction between what he [...]

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Confessions of a Mystery Shopper: Does Great Customer Service Create Competitive Advantage Part 2?

March 18, 2009

What went wrong at Nordstrom? According to a study conducted at the University of Texas, “Nordstrom’s…problems (in part) stem(ed) from a poor choice of inventory which has alienated somewhat its fashion conscious customers ,” and… “Nordstrom’s weakness in spotting new fashion trends would be expected to have been particularly punishing since its customers are among [...]

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Confessions of a Mystery Shopper: Does Great Customer Service Create Competitive Advantage Part 1?

March 10, 2009

Customer service does not create lasting competitive advantage – as this example from the famous Nordstrom shows.

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