Solutions:

You must see:

PBS DGA Solutions Mystery Shopping

Mystery Shopping

Mystery Shopping is a research technique used to assess and improve the standard of services provided to customers. This research method has been employed for many years by businesses, government agencies and various service organisations.

Mystery Shopping involves employing trained observers who, taking on the role of a customer, collect the required information. To arrive at an assessment of service quality, the actual level of service is compared to the assumed targets and the level of service offered by competitors.

Even though an assessment of customer service may be obtained, to some extent, by interviewing actual customers, the most important information required for the assessment of service quality can usually only be obtained through a Mystery Shopping project. Due to the increase in the importance of the service sector in today’s society, this specific research technique has earned special significance.

Over ten years of implementing Mystery Shopping projects, PBS DGA has had the opportunity to apply this technique to various service industries. Our clients include, among others:

• Euro – Net Sp. z o.o. – a home-electronics supermarket chain
• Jysk Polska – home interior products
• Ministry of Finance – financial products
• PTC Era – mobile phone services
• Ultex International – mobile phone services
• Hestia – insurance products
• Futura Leasing – leasing services

For each client, our dedicated Mystery Shopping research team is able to develop a tailor-made research guide and a customized presentation of findings.

In 2004, PBS DGA, with almost 4,500 field observations, was at the forefront among research agencies which deliver Mystery Shopping projects. This number increased sharply in 2005 - to almost 12,000 observations. 2006 marked a further increase in the volume of Mystery Shopping research work.

PBS DGA offers a well-developed network of almost 400 Mystery Shopping auditors. Our Mystery Shopping fieldwork is done by both women and men, of various ages, in order to match the prospective customer profile for a variety of services and scenarios. Before carrying out the interview, each auditor receives a visit guide and a ‘life story’ (in projects where a background story is required). The visit guide lists the stages of the visit and information which has to be obtained during the visit, and points out the issues that need to be in the focus of the auditor’s attention at each individual stage of the audit.

Thanks to the high quality of our training (conducted either face-to-face or via a teleconference), we are able to ensure the highest standards of auditor performance. For the Mystery Shopping projects, PBS DGA has developed a Mystery Shopper Manual, to be used by the auditors, whose work represents a key link in the research process and is a crucial determinant of the quality and value of the data collected.