Mystery Shop Services
To begin with, it is necessary to emphasize that the set of the services, which will be required for the thorough analysis of the retailing structure, will depend on the services provided and the information, which should be found out. Thus, if a restaurant is analyzed, the following mystery shopping services will be required:
- Competitive Shops. Generally, this research is requested to compare customer service or pricing with a competitor. Surely, this aspect of business activity will be important for the creation of business performance strategy.
- Customer Service Evaluation, or as it is also called General Mystery Shopping. This research is required for the evaluation of policy compliance, customer service, selling skills, facility appearance and product quality.
- Discrimination Testing. This type of analysis will be required for defining the loyalty of the management team towards the national minorities in the team and within the visitors of the restaurant. In the circumstances of the increasing globalization processes this study will be of particular importance.
- Price Audit. The analysis of a price forming policy will be required for defining the competency capabilities of the company on the one hand and the adequacy of the prices on the other hand.
- Questionnaire and Program Design. Finally, the result of the allover research should be summarized by the questionnaire, arranged for the visitors of the restaurant.
Evaluation Form
For the proper analysis of the restaurant, the evaluation form should include the questions on the matters of the quality of the services, adequacy of the prices, communication skills of the team, internal design and others.
The set of the questions, which may be asked, will be the following:
- Did the administrator greet you and your companion at once? This question will add to the general image of service level.
- Were you waiting too long for a waiter? If this may be explained by too many visitors is a restaurant, this is the problem of proper HR management. If there were not too much visitors, the delay signifies poor customer care policy.
- Did the waiter help you with the order? It often happens that waiters just wish to take the order, and get rid of the visitor as soon as possible. If so, the rate will be lowered essentially.
- Is the interior clean, cozy and pleasant looking? Originally, the interior is one of the most important aspects, defining the awareness of the restaurant within the visitors and potential customers.
- Was the menu composed properly? Sometimes menus are composed without any logic and they are impossible to navigate. The others are too shabby. Thus, the quality of menu, the taste of its design should be also tested.
- Was the closet available and clean? Originally, this question does not require any clarification. Nevertheless, the level of the services also entails this aspect.
- Was the manager available and quick to come for solving any problem? In low class restaurants managers are not available and never hurry to satisfy visitors’ complaints. Thus, this aspect should be paid attention.
- Did you tip the waiter, who served you?
- Would you like to visit this restaurant again?
- Will you recommend this place to your friends?
The last three questions will define the allover impression on the restaurant and the level of services. The fact of tips reveals the quality of the work by some particular team member.
Request for Proposal
What is the purpose of the program / why do you want to conduct the research and what will you do with the results?
The purpose of the program is to identify the level of competency of the restaurant, the potential for the further development of business performance and marketing activity. The results of this research may be used for the evaluation of the restaurant marketing sphere in general, and for creating the marketing strategy for a particular restaurant or network. Moreover, these results may become the basis for the recommendations of successful business performance and for the creation of the universal business strategy, incorporating HR, financial, marketing and customer care spheres.
Who in your company will be responsible for the program?
The fact is that it is hard to assign the responsibility for a single person, as the whole team is responsible for the successful development of any company. Surely, this responsibility is not equal, as the largest part is assigned for the team leader and team builder, nevertheless, each member of the team is responsible for the successful performance of the team.
Timeframes for shops (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, certain seasons, specific dates, etc.)
The timeframes for the research may be stated either basing on the matters of seasonal performance, as restaurant business is highly dependable on the touristic seasons or weather.
Will employees be rewarded / punished for shop results?
The fact is that there is no need to reward or punish the employees. Nevertheless, the results of the survey should be announced, and, in the case if these results are not satisfying, the workers should be encouraged to work better (fine or bonus should be provided). If the results are high, the workers should be encouraged to maintain these levels. The best encouragement will be the opportunity to earn more for the following accounting period, thus, if some reward or fine is necessary, it should not be imposed at once.
Mystery Shopping Firm
The company which will be selected for the Mystery Shopping analysis is About Face Business Intelligence and Customer Experience Strategies. The fact is that this company is one of the most experienced in the sphere of business intelligence and Mystery Shopping Spheres. This company has the extensive network of agents, thus, the clients should not worry that the agents will be recognized. They are professional actors, and have the knowledge on the matters of acting performance for provoking some conflicting and critical situations.
The company has access to the database of the contacts and business information of most services and companies who aim at providing the high quality services and satisfying their customers.
As for the research itself, the company does not provide naked results of the survey, or statistical data. The main emphasis is made on thorough research and creating particular recommendations on the basis of the results of the questionnaire, survey and research. Finally, the company’s commitment and integrationi is one of the most attractive factors, which will define the choice of the MSPA company.