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Performance in People Report Surge in Demand for Mystery Shopping in...

Performance in People, www.performanceinpeople.co.uk, is one of the UK's8217;s leading specialists at measuring and improving customer service that drive increased sales and performance within the retail sector. Performance in People specialise in video mystery shopping, where an assessor (posing as a prospective customer) enters a shop wearing a hidden video camera and captures the complete customer journey on DVD (with accompanying report). The entire interaction is then used to identify opportunities to improve the customer experience and maximise sales techniques. Performance in People are reporting an extraordinary increase in demand for this kind of mystery shopping service.



Performance in People's8217;s Video Mystery Shopping service has highlighted that in Retail staff, performance increases by up to 23% on higher footfall days such as Saturdays and Sundays. Assumptions have always been that performance should be lower when staff are very busy. In fact evidence proves that staff are more productive and more effective at delivering better customer service and a more structured sales process. Statistics gained from Video Mystery Shopping have also shown that an individual is far more likely to get a better customer service experience from a female sales assistant as opposed to a male sales assistant. This is particularly true if the female sales assistant is aged between 30 and 40. Recent statistics have shown that within the Retail sector this profile of sales assistance consistently delivers up to 17% better performance than that of other staff profiles.



Mike Dalloz, Managing Director, Performance in People: 's8220;Statistics show that it costs ten times more money to gain a new customer compared to the cost of retaining an old one. This cost is compounded by the fact that one unhappy customer will tell five others about their bad service. Retailers lose 69% of their customers due to poor customer service. The Mystery Shopping Service that we provide has proved so effective that in some cases it has led to an increase of 5.3% in sales.'s8221;



Worldwide, mystery shopping is an industry worth over $1.5 billion *. This is not surprising considering that the customer experience is linked to direct sales. With just 7% of human communication conveyed by the words used, 38% by how those words are said and 55% by body language, video mystery shopping is the core element in monitoring, measuring and evaluating these experiences against prescribed standards or promises. By using the video mystery shopping material it allows staff to review their own performance and that of their colleagues, therefore allowing stores to create a much deeper recognition and understanding of customer service performance and create sustainable changes in staff behavior.



Mike Dalloz, Managing Director, Performance in People: 's8220;Competition on the high street is more intense than ever. The customer's8217;s shopping experience is crucial, from the moment they walk over the premise threshold. Mystery shopping will record how shoppers interact with the environment, displays, goods, staff, payment processes, every single detail. We do urge retailers to place primary focus on the experience of their customers. This is what will result in sales, repeat purchases and profit.'s8221;



The retail sector today consists of higher consumer expectations, greater regulatory requirements and increased competition between retailers. Performance in People understand that having the opportunity to see and hear the experiences of customers is a powerful way to recognise areas for improving sales and customer service delivery.



Performance in People work in partnership with a number of high profile clients across the retail sector, including Carphone Warehouse, French Connection, Bang & Olufsen, Adidas and Sunglasses Hut.



As well as the mystery shopping service, Performance in People provides a complete solutions package including needs analyses, in-house training and development, business coaching, consultancy services, customer research, audit, assessments and certification review and corporate video production.

Notes to Editor:



* Statistics gained from Mystery Shopping Providers Association

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