Market Viewpoint Mystery Shopping Services
Insider Information from the President of Market Viewpoint
Angela V. Megasko is the President and founder of Market Viewpoint, LLC, a market research firm specializing in professional mystery shopping. Her organization has been helping clients see their operations through the eyes of the customer since 1996. Angela has helped clients in all industries increase their profitability through the power of customer retention. She believes so strongly in the idea that our clients can make us profitable that she recommends having a solid customer service plan as a part of your firm’s overall Marketing Plan. To learn more about her services, go to http://www.marketviewpoint.com.
Interview, Part II – What Makes a Good Mystery Shopper
Is there a certain type or size company that can benefit from mystery shopping services?
Any company who has customers can benefit from the methods used by mystery shopping companies. Some of the industries that make very good use of mystery shopping data include real estate, finance, retail, entertainment, and hospitality but service evaluations work well in any industry.
What kinds of issues can a mystery shopper help a company identify?
Companies who’ve been helped by Market Viewpoint have been able to identify areas where additional employee training may be necessary. This training can be product training, communications skills training, or customer service training. We’ve also been able to help our client organizations recognize and reward top performers and identify those employees who need additional coaching and counseling.
The mystery shopping process is also a great way to determine what customers like and don’t like about the way a company is operating and serving its customers.
How does your company recruit mystery shoppers?
We find our shoppers in a variety of ways. Many come to us because they were referred by friends and family. Sometimes shoppers are recruited through traditional advertising sources like newspapers and magazines and other times we make use of technology in the form of the internet to find good independent contractors who want to help us with our various assignments and projects.
Are there opportunities for in-person mystery shopping as well as online mystery shopping?
Mystery shopping companies are often asked to review all the means of entry to a corporation’s system. They will review telephone operations, in-person transactions, and the electronic avenues such as email and websites.