I received a call from a client last year, requesting to suspend their mystery shopping program for the month of December, as “it’s our busiest time of the year” and our employees will have enough to do. I listened, and then asked him how many “perfect” mystery shops he had seen in the past year. He replied, “One, in February as I recall.”
My next response shocked him. I recommended that he double his shopping schedule. My reasoning is simple. If it’s your busiest time of year, it should be your best opportunity to maximize each customer interaction or transaction. This is when you must have perfect execution — this is when you have the biggest opportunity to make a measurable difference. Why wouldn’t you want to make the most of it?
How much revenue will you let walk away because your employee didn’t sell your customer everything they need?
