Secret or mystery shopping isn’t a new concept. But it’s often overlooked. Are leads and customer calls handled in an efficient and courteous manner at your company? Most would like to say yes. But do you really know?

When creating a marketing plan, Veritas often tests the sales process of our clients and their competitors by engaging with the company as an interested potential buyer. Too often, we find that companies are slow to followup or don’t respond at all. Create a special e-mail address or have someone call your company and request information on a product or service.

How quickly does someone respond? Is your customer service team knowledgeable and courteous or curt and unhelpful? Is the information provided appropriate for the request? Are customers passed around from department to department, resulting in frustration? Do your competitors have a better process?

Secret shopping is not a replacement for customer satisfaction measures. However, it can provide data for quick adjustments to ensure that customers’ expectations are met.