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Is your Mystery Shop program a major pain in the “@#$”?! If so, you aren’t alone. Many other retailers feel your pain and believe there is a major disconnect between the Brand’s overwhelming expectations for them and the daily challenges they face. The truth is that mystery shops serve as a great way for you to get a fresh set of eyes on your store and to receive valuable feedback from an unbiased point of view about your customer experience. The mystery shopper’s observations are typically more aligned with those of your customers and embracing their feedback can prove invaluable as you strive to improve the customer experience at your stores.
I am always surprised to hear the amount of anger or frustration retailers have toward their Brand’s expectations for them. Unfortunately, a lot of them simply choose to discredit their mystery shop program because they feel unable to meet the expectations of the Brand’s criteria. Below we have identified the three most challenging mystery shops categories based on our customer feedback.
3 Pain in the “@#$” Mystery Shops Categories:
- Exterior Cleanliness
- Interior Cleanliness
- Customer Service
Of these three categories, we hear the most complaints about the criteria for the store exterior and/or forecourt areas. It’s not surprising then that the “Exterior Cleanliness” category tends to be the category most missed on mystery shops too. Some of the criteria within each category might seem tough, if not, impossible to meet for some C-store operators but it’s all about having the right tools and tactics. Exterior Cleanliness: Are you consistently getting hit for…dirty dispensers, oil stained concrete, missing paint on curbs & bollards, dirty canopy, graffiti, vandalism, dirty islands, & soon? If so, you aren’t alone! In order for you to meet the demands of the customer experience and to improve your mystery shops, you must find real solutions to these real challenges. We have found that most C-store operators simply aren't aware of the solutions to deal with their outdoor cleaning needs. That is why it is necessary to have a partner that can provide you the tools needed to combat these challenges. In the end, it’s all about the customer experience! Your customers notice things that you may be completely unaware of and they may never come back because of it. The question that all C-store operators must constantly ask themselves is “Is the store customer-ready?” Being customer ready ensures that your customers will have a great experience at your store and keep coming back. If you find it hard to decide exactly what customer ready means, a great place to start is your mystery shop criteria. Having the right solutions to defeat these frustrating challenges is essential for you to improve the customer experience at your location. Click the icons below to find your solutions.
Having the right solutions to defeat these frustrating challenges is essential for you to improve the customer experience at your location. To discover all the ways CAF can help you maintain a clean business, use our solution finder to explore all of our outdoor and indoor products.
