Mystery   Customer 

Currently the application of "Mystery Customer Inspection Service" is incomplete in China and many companies learn little about it. "Mystery Customer Inspection Service" is the use of the professionally trained individuals to experience and measure the service process by acting as customers in the regulated time and place, and then report back on the service quality, business level of the enterprise in a detailed and objective way. It is commonly called as “anonymous audit” or "mystery customer investigation".

The mystery customer investigation was originally applied in catering industry. McDonald was the apotheosis providing normative service in catering industry and perennial mystery customer investigation has been playing an admirable role of supervision and deterrent in strictly executing the service criterion. Surely there are also a bundle of international companies such as KFC, Nokia, Phillip, who introduce the inspection into domestic chains to reinforce more effective management. Currently in China , this inspection is primarily used in enterprises specializing in service industries, e.g. posts and telecommunications, banking, insurance, catering, commodity retails, airline and chain stores. At present, several enterprises like China Petroleum, China Telecom, Shanghai & Volkswagen, etc. have already conducted the inspection in public.

Well, what problems can be solved by "Mystery Customer"?

Firstly, the anonymous audit and supervision performed by the mystery customer put on intangible pressures on the objects, which inspires them to voluntarily improve their business quality, service skill and attitude, further to offer knight service for customers and the effectiveness can last for a long time. Secondly, the mystery customer inspection detects and modifies the deficiency in the services in time from the angle of customers so that it advances the customer satisfaction. Thirdly, it intensifies the supervision and management system of enterprises and polishes up the service attitude of servants. Finally, by the mystery customer inspection enterprises can systemically analyze the root causes of discovered problems, upgrade management methods, perfect management policy, and consequently strengthen the competitive ability and better hold the market.

Anyway, the ultimate purpose of enterprises to conduct mystery customer inspection is to improve their own service level and service quality by information collected during the investigation and the predominance of mystery customer inspection in this aspect is distinct.

Above all, the process of anonymous audit will not be influenced by the individual’s subjective favor and external factors such as the comprehension of work criterion or the individual’s experience of the same job as there is not any business or interpersonal relation between the mystery customer and the object. Next, the anonymous audit is objective, fair and confidential as the mystery customer processes inspection as the third party. Moreover, the mystery customer observes the most authentic performance of the servants when purchasing commodities or services, and the mystery customer evaluates on the commodity and services equal to other customers as he/she shares the same feelings as other customers. In addition, enterprises’ routine inspection stresses on the internal management regulation, operational approach, behavior guide, etc. Though the scale of inspection is wide, the mode is single and unclassified in respect that the inspected department and employees have made sufficient preparation. Therefore, the inspectors are hard to detect the truth. Comparing with it, mystery customer inspection emphasizes on the performance of employees and is confidential and authentic.

Based on Steele’s experience in mystery customer inspection, essential conditions of objectivity, veracity and effectiveness are required in the investigation process and result of mystery customer inspection.

Objectivity. Seen from the selection of mystery customers, to avoid the utilitarianism in the implementation of internal organization, enterprises usually prefers to select a neutral third party to complete the anonymous audit, which ensured the authenticity, objectivity and fairness of the investigation outcome.

Veracity. As different persons hold different reflection and views toward the same thing or action, before the mystery customer inspection, we should make out a serial of more detailed implementation standard of inspection on the basis of the enterprise’s management flow and regulations. The standard can be designed in form of questionnaire, scoring or grade partition by comparing the behaviors of the employees to the implementation standard. It is available to avoid that the operator of the inspection is affected by self-subjective factors during the anonymous audit to guarantee the veracity and authenticity of the investigation result. It is noted that the implementation standard of inspection even varies from enterprises of the same type. Thus only strictly in compliance with the internal actuality of the enterprises and carrying out the relevant standard, can the veracity of the result be ensured.

The quality and capability of the investigator is the significant factor to influence on the veracity of the investigation result as well. Provided that during the investigation, the caution of the inspected individuals is waken up due to the investigator’s unqualified professional quality or capability, the confidentiality of the investigation is reduced and the obtained information might be far away from the truth, which results in that the ultimate outcome fails to reflect the real service level of the enterprise. Thereby before the investigation, we should select the investigator with fine professional quality and abundant practical experience and give him/her special training.

Effectiveness. The contents and proposal of the anonymous audit should be changed according to the improvement of the enterprise’s service level. The contents and proposal should present diversified service management requirement of the enterprise in different periods, so the anonymous audit service can really find problems and the outcome can be available for enterprise management to put forward corresponding reformation proposal.

To guarantee the realization of the above three conditions, Steele studies out the general procedures of mystery customer inspection as follows based on the experience in these cases:

Step 1: To confirm the object;

Step 2: To design Implementation Standard of Inspection based on clients’ requirements and relevant regulations;

Step 3: To select the candidates of "Mystery Customers" and give them professional training;

Step 4: To collect information;

Step 5: To organize and analyze information;

Step 6: To submit investigation report.

In modern times, with more and more fierce competition in the market but limited marketing shares, “predominant service” has been included into the new strategic target by many enterprises after the price war spread. A suit of objective, veracious and valid mystery customer inspection system is required to fulfill the target. One of the most effective methods is to employ a third independent party to conduct mystery customer inspection.

Through the inspection conducted by the third independent party, the service state can be comprehended to make sure the improvement direction, improve the customer satisfaction and loyalty and consolidate the predominance in the market, which ensures the continuous development of the enterprise.