Mystery Shopping

What it is and why are we doing it?

Mystery shopping is a method of market research and tenant involvement.  It is used by service providers to check the quality of their housing services and customer service standards.  It allows tenants to give their point of view on the services we offer.

It is about using realistic scenarios for real customer inter-actions to see how we treat those who use our services.  The feedback will be objective and based on specific tenant experiences and if carried out regularly enough can reveal trends, so that one-off situations can be identified.  From your feedback we can monitor results, highlight excellence, assist staff training and recommend improvement and changes where necessary.

It differs from customers giving everyday feedback as it is more specific and robust with the individual shopper focused on observing and noting down in a more rigorous manner.

What mystery shopping is not!

It is not an opportunity to catch staff out.  But instead, it’s a way to work with us to improve the services we deliver.  Our staff are aware that the project is forthcoming but don’t know exactly when it will take place.