Planning your Mystery Shopping program
February 5, 2021

What can you do to make this your company’s year?

What will the new year bring for you? That is a phrase we hear often in January and February, especially this year as everyone is keen to put 2020 behind them. After such bleakness, it’s exciting to think of the months ahead and what they could mean for us. However, a more appropriate question to ask yourself is, “How can I make this year (and this decade!) work for me?” At Above Benchmark, we have grabbed 2021 by the shirt collar and told it we mean business! 

 

We started January by signing several new clients and fielding new leads. Some of those new leads we are now in negotiations with, and some we are passing on for various reasons. As a company old enough to drink at its own office parties, we play to our strengths and know which business-to-business relationships will work well. While not all leads will come to fruition, it is fantastic to see how many businesses are focusing on customer service and mystery shopping to start their year. Starting with a clear focus is definitely key and will help them achieve their benchmarks. 

 

Of course, there will be elements this year that are beyond our control, but there are so many opportunities to embrace and afford an advantage. Here are just a few ways in which we at Above Benchmark made the most of a fresh start:

 

Start fresh: 

New email templates, updated reporting layouts, fresh spreadsheets, etc., make us feel so organised and ready to work after the Christmas break. These super-simple updates are a great way to improve productivity and set your team up for success.

 

Ask for testimonials and reviews:

A great boost is to read how awesome your company is. You will see updated comments from our clients and team on the Above Benchmark website. Asking for testimonials and reviews not only provides the warm glow of positive feedback, but you can then learn from any constructive criticism, as well. 

 

Update your website:

A tired website is never going to look appealing. We started the year with a fresh website and the amount of new leads we’ve received speaks volumes! Take the time to evaluate what works, ask your team their opinion, then freshen up the look. It could be as simple as some new widgets, adding testimonials, a new blog article, or a slightly altered layout. 

 

Contact former clients:

Should old acquaintances be forgotten? Gosh no! For various reasons (budgetary constraints, different goals, an unmotivated team, etc.) business-to-business and business-to-consumer relationships end, but then circumstances change and clients/customers return. Perhaps their marketing budget has grown, they’ve adjusted their goals, lifestyle has changed, etc.; there is no harm in reaching out. 

 

Evaluate your business: 

Introspection is a great way to better understand your company. So do an internal audit of your business, from the human capital (employees) to your connections with your customers/clients. If you’ve taken to Zoom meetings, spend a few minutes checking in with your team, how they’re going, and how you can help. 

 

Reassess your goals:

One thing we’ve learned from the past year is that you need to adjust and change in order to thrive. Your previous goals may have been impractical and you need to scale back to something more achievable. Or the opposite may be true and your team needs a greater challenge. A reassessment of goals is one of the reasons we have seen an increase in new enquiries and former clients returning. 

 

 

If you already have a Mystery Shopping program in place, these aspects can all be applied to that program. A good Mystery Shopping Provider will be flexible and not only embrace proposed changes to your program, but suggest improvements along the way, as they see your company growing and adapting. 

 

At Above Benchmark, we suggested to our clients that they add Covid-related questions to their survey forms. Therefore, we are able to deliver them the data they need to assess if their Covid-safe plan is being implemented correctly. Mystery Shopping is also a great way to gather feedback to use as testimonials and many of our shoppers choose to submit Google and Facebook reviews for clients. 

 

Take action

If you want to start 2021 off the right way, just remember SAUCER (start fresh, ask, update, contact, evaluate and reassess!) We would love to help you catch all the spills and realise your potential this year. Please contact us for a free, no-obligation chat about your business. 

Here at Above Benchmark, we make Mystery Shopping simple. We help our clients design their ideal customer service experience. Then we have our professional Mystery Shoppers evaluate their customer service so we can compare it to their benchmark.

We live and breathe customer service and have been designing unique Mystery Shopping programs for almost 2 decades.

If you want to grow your business through better service and experiences, contact us today.

Simply call 1300 400 716 and let us help you achieve above your benchmark.

 

 

Latest news