EUKN - United Kingdom - Toolkit for improving standards

Toolkit for improving standards – mystery shopping at acis group

Introduction

Acis group had customer feedback panels, but wanted a more robust test of their customer service through mystery shopping. The process they went through is documented here, with the success stories and the difficulties encountered.

Description

For credibility, the Mystery shoppers would have to be drawn from the existing customer base. What then developed was a project with three unusual features, which combined we believe has made this a unique project:

Our own tenant customers have been trained to conduct Mystery Shopping exercises,
an external training provider has provided training to our customers,
the Mystery Shopping exercises have been undertaken using telephone recording equipment, thus providing evidence in the event of a dispute.

Background information

The customer-led Communications Sub Group asked the Company to undertake some research work in developing a methodology for Mystery Shopping in order to test our service delivery. They were particularly interested to discover if our customers are receiving the expected high level of service that is promised by Acis.

It soon became clear that, in order to provide credibility to Mystery Shopping, the work had to be both evidenced and professionally organised, and to achieve that would be to move beyond the expertise of in-house training.

Methodology

It was envisaged that the Mystery Shoppers themselves would be encouraged to prepare and present a report of their findings to key senior staff, their fellow customers on the Customer Feedback Panel Steering Group as well as the Board of Management.

Findings will also be reported to tenant customers via the quarterly tenant newsletter. Baseline data and performance indicators will be established, where possible, at the start of the project, and used as a yardstick measure over time to quantify the success of project in improving customer service.

Conclusions

Receiving professional, external training made a considerable difference to the approach to Mystery shopping, and the confidence demonstrated by the Mystery Shoppers. Tenant Customers have control over what services are reviewed, and are able to test those services in a measurable way.

Managers are able to focus their attention on services that are demonstrated, and proved, to need improvement, rather than respond to anecdotal evidence.

The effectiveness of the process will be measured, when in six months time the exercise will be repeated, and the status of implementation of the Mystery Shoppers recommendations assessed.

Contact info

Acis Group
info@acisgroup.co.uk

Publication date

Project finished

28/07/2005

Researcher

Acis Group

Links

Visit the Acis Group website

Download the 'Toolkit for improving standards' Report (PDF, Eng, 1.3 MB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment

Keywords

Training