The Secrets of Mystery Shopping - Essay Example

Mystery Shopping Mystery shopping is an important tool for measuring the quality of service in the tourism industry. It works by mainly analyzing three major factors: employee knowledge of the products and services they offer; customer service skills and productivity throughout the business hours. Mystery shopping was the best method of analyzing service quality in a restaurant setup because it brings out all aspects of the quality of service through the sad moments of truth in customer service encounters. The selected restaurants were Yo Sushi and Itsu. The type of mystery shopping used was a personal visit for firsthand observation of service delivery and quality (Hull, 2013). Data was recorded on a tape recorder that was well hidden in the mystery shopper’s jacket. The first visit was to the Yo Sushi restaurant. The Mystery shopper walked through the main entrance in the evening hours, acting all tired and exhausted after a presumably long day at work. No one bothered to meet and welcome him. He walked to the reception and inquire about booking a table for dinner. The receptionist did not even greet him, and pointed at a table with three occupants and one empty seat. The receptionist did not bother to ask how many people the mystery shopper was bringing for dinner. She simply assumed that he was all by himself and guided him to an already occupied table. This could be tolerated because the restaurant was packed to capacity. The mystery shopper walked to the table and took a seat next to the strangers, feeling rather uncomfortable. Luckily, a huge group of people finished up their meal and left a nearby table. The mystery shopper moved to the new unoccupied table, but it was littered with spilt food and soup. No one bothered to come wipe it for close to five minutes, despite the fact that there were two waitresses standing at the reception chatting and laughing. Finally, an attendant came with a cloth and wiped the table, collecting all the dishes and wine glasses. He did not even bother to greet the mystery shopper or ask whether he had been attended to. He just did his cleaning job and left. A waitress finally came after fifteen minutes of waiting. She greeted the mystery shopper with no smile at all and then asked him what he would have for dinner. He tried to understand from her whether their offer as advertised on TV was still on. She had no idea what the advert was about and looked rather confused. She asked for some clarification on the advert and the mystery shopper gave her the details. She rushed to the reception and asked a few questions, then proudly came back and said that it was still on. She either had no interest in the offers they had or the adverts they made, or the management never informed its employees on such decisions. The mystery shopper then asked for the menu, and took his time reading through it, asking questions where he did not understand. It got to a point where the waitress became impatient and started making faces indicating that she was displeased with her current customer. She even asked the mystery shopper to hurry up because she was getting tired of waiting. Finally, the mystery shopper decided to have lobsters and a bowl of rice. The waitress did not write down the order and it was assumed that she would remember it anyway. Minutes later, the waitress came back with a plate of lobsters and pasta. At first, the mystery shopper thought it was someone else’s order, but it turned out that the waitress had forgotten about the rice. She just placed it on the table, rolled up the well packaged knife, spoon and fork, and left to another table without even confirming whether her customer was satisfied with the order or needed a drink to take together with the food. He called on her, and told her that the food was not what he had ordered. She started to defend herself, claiming that indeed that was the order. He tried to convince her that he had ordered for rice and not pasta but she could not listen to him. Instead, she called on to another waitress and told her that the mystery shopper was wasting her time by ordering food then refusing to take it. To avoid a scene, the mystery shopper agreed to take the pasta. The meal was delicious, exceeding the expectations of the mystery shopper, who had earlier thought that the food would be as bad as the customer service within this restaurant. Perhaps it was the reason why people kept coming back, despite the fact that they were ill-treated by the restaurant’s employees. After enjoying the meal, it was time for the mystery shopper to pay his bill and leave. There was, however, a slight problem. The lady who served him had already completed her shift and left without having given him his bill. He had not noticed her absence until he started asking other attendants where she was so that she could process the bill. He had to wait for her to be called and every other attendant gave an excuse for not being able to process the bill in her place, citing issues like system passwords and commissions. She finally arrived and processed the bill for him. He, however, had to wait for five extra minutes before he could get his change. Once the transaction was complete, he headed towards the reception and inquired of take away meals. He wanted the rice and lobsters he had earlier on asked for but never got. This time round, the receptionist decided to call the kitchen and know whether the meal was still available. No one picked the call, although one could hear it ring from the reception area and the cooks and chefs were seen passing by the kitchen phone and ignoring it. The receptionist angrily marched to the kitchen and there was some shouting from behind the counter. It was delivered at the reception in a few minutes. He paid for it and left, feeling hungrier and more exhausted than when he came in. From the findings of the mystery shopper, it is clear that this hotel lacks in customer service. Their quality of service is poor. Expectations of the customers are only met in terms of the quality of food served, but not in how the attendants attend to them. Looking at the quality of service, there is absolutely no professionalism. This is seen in the lack of someone to welcome the mystery shopper into the restaurant. The receptionist also directs the customer to an already occupied table. To cap it all, the mystery shopper sits at a dirty table for long, before anyone bothers to wipe it clean. Moreover, the staff are not reliable. The lady cannot be depended upon to bring the correct order. She does not even write it down, probably as a show of her good memory or as an indication that she does not care about the customer’s order at all. Her attitude and behavior towards the mystery shopper is also wanting. She is bothered by the fact that he is taking long to decide on a meal from the menu. She also behaves harshly when told that she brought the wrong order. The fact that she calls on other attendants to witness a customer complaint shows that she cannot be trusted by a customer. She will definitely gossip about the needs of the customer and will not deal with them personally. She has no empathy. No effort is made towards service recovery in this restaurant. Everything is left to fade as though it was a normal occurrence. Analyzing this restaurant in terms of determinants of service quality, a lot is seen to be lacking. According to Kunst (1995), the tangibles are not presentable. One is made to sit at an occupied table. Dirty tables also take longer to be cleared. There is no reliability of the staff and the kitchen. Waiting is the norm in this restaurant, even when it comes to tasks as easy as writing bills. Responsiveness is rare. While the mystery shopper is seated at the table unattended to, there are two attendants gossiping at the reception. They ignore the fact that the restaurant is full of customers. The mystery shopper also has to call the waitress who served him the wrong order because she did not wait to hear whether he was satisfied by it. Empathy can be seen in the receptionist, but at the end of the mystery shopper’s visit. She is furious that the customer wants to make an order and yet the kitchen staff is busy ignoring it. She speeds up the ordering process and the customer is served in a hurry. The fact that the restaurant changes shifts so unceremoniously indicates lack of proper management. They also lack flexibility in terms of systems and employees. There should not be a gap in business operations due to changes in shifts. Replacements should take over immediately and smoothly such that it would be hard for one to notice the change of shift. The systems used in restaurants should also not allow an employee to check out with unfinished business, just like the waitress left without processing a bill for the mystery shopper’s dinner. After such lack of service, a customer usually expects an apology that is personally presented to them (Martin, 2002). The waitress should approach him and apologize for her behavior. She can probably quote having a bad day at work and personal issues that led her to behave the way she did. The restaurant should also compensate him for the unfair treatment. This can be in terms of a free meal for the rice and lobsters he so much wanted to eat and was initially denied. He can also be refunded the money he spent on dinner that evening. The customer also expects fair treatment from the corners of the restaurant. The staff should make the customer feel needed and loved in order to have them return to the same restaurant, and probably bring along friends. Word of mouth is a big determiner of whether a business will strive or fail. Had the mystery shopper decided to retaliate for the poor services received, he would simply advise his friends against visiting this restaurant. He would also post the disappointed he got in social pages and his followers would certainly spread the word (Newhouse, 2004). The second visit was to the Itsu hotel. This visit was done in the following day at the same time as the first visit. The mystery shopper chose to drive into the restaurant’s packing and was amazed at its good lighting. There was also plenty of ample parking space and attendants to ensure that one parked appropriately to avoid blocking other vehicles. Once he had parked his vehicle, he was approached by an attendant who greeted him, asked for his name, and showed him the way to the restaurant’s entrance, calling him by his name. At the reception, he asked to book a table. His name was taken and he was given a slip to fill in. The slip had fields requiring him to identify the number of people he was with, his purpose of the visit and how long he would be at the restaurant. He filled it and handed it to the ever-smiling and friendly receptionist. In less than a minute, he was directed to a small table with two seats, although he had indicated that he would be alone that evening. His purpose was to take his favorite rice and lobsters for dinner. Immediately he got to his table, an attendant was standing in wait. He handed her his coat and she hung it on the seat next to him, and handed him the menu to read. The restaurant, just like Yo Sushi, had posted a TV advert on a special offer for a meal of rice and lobsters. He asked the attendant about it and she explained the details of the offer, including the price and the hours for which it was available. She even added that they had a weekly newspaper advertisement for weekend offers for breakfast and dinner. Satisfied with the employee’s knowledge, the mystery shopper decided to make his order. He requested for his usual rice and lobsters and the waitress took out a small, neat notebook and wrote the order down. She asked if he needed a drink to accompany the meal, but he insisted on just having the meal. She left with the order and went to the kitchen counter, handed over the order and waited. The kitchen staff called out her name in no time and she was soon walking back towards the mystery shopper’s table with the meal on her tray. She carefully placed the meal on his table and rolled out the cutlery next to it. She then brought him a damp and warm towel to clean his hands with, after which she stood next to him and asked him whether there was anything else he needed. Satisfied that he was okay, she left and went to attend to other customers, but always threw an eye towards his table in case he needed something else. After the meal, the mystery shopper called the waitress and asked for the bill. She dashed to the processing machine, keyed in the required codes and then brought him the bill. He gave her the money and she went to the main cashier counter, after which she brought him his change in less than two minutes. Even with the quick service, she apologized for any delays caused. She handed the mystery shopper the restaurant’s brochure and told him that he could leave on his own pleasure. Satisfied with the meal and service, the mystery shopper picked up his coat and walked towards the exit. The receptionist called on to him with a sweet tone and gave him a brief questionnaire to fill in the services he had received. He gladly filled it and left. He found his car untouched at the parking lot, and a parking attendant walked to him and gave him his parking ticket. He paid for it at the exit and left, full, relaxed and happy. Looking at this second hotel, the determinants of service quality is fully met. The tangibles, which in this case include the parking lot and the hotel tables, are well maintained and in good condition. They are clean and presentable. Such tangibles allow a customer to feel as though they are in a clean and a serene environment. The hotel attendants are highly reliable. The parking lot attendant ensures that vehicles are well parked and that anyone who wishes to leave will not find any obstructions. The waitress is also good at the restaurant’s products and advertisements, making her reliable and dependable in choosing a meal for the day. She is also within reach of her customers throughout the time they are in the restaurant. All the hotel staff are also responsive. They are willing to answer to any queries of the mystery shopper. They also answer in a manner confirming that they are sure of whatever they say. This responsiveness and awareness speak a lot about the management of the restaurant and the training they give their employees. They ensure that they are always on the lookout for industry changes and any advertisements posted in the mass media since they value communication. They also make sure that the members of staff are well behaved towards the customers at all times. There is assurance of quality in this restaurant. In fact, the receptionist makes sure the mystery shopper fills in a feedback questionnaire that can be used at a later date to analyze the situation and condition of this restaurant. This feedback is important for the management. They get to know areas they can improve in and the action they should take towards certain employees. Knowing that customers fill in a feedback form also keeps the restaurant attendants in check. They can never misbehave towards their customers because they know the issue will be escalated to the management, which could result in them losing their jobs (Poynter, 2002). Comparing the two restaurants visited, it can be seen that professionalism is an important element of a restaurant’s service quality. This aspect comes into play when dealing with customers. The way one deals with them from the point they get into the restaurant to their point of departure determines whether they will visit a second time. The Itsu restaurant has professional attendants who know how to deal with customers, unlike those in Yo Sushi. Attitudes and behavior of the attendants also matter a lot in this industry (Stamatis, 1996). Success in the tourism industry is determined by one’s attitude towards work and customers. A good attitude is directly proportional to profits, while the opposite is true for a negative attitude. Attitude involves one’s view of something, in this case the restaurant business and the customers in it. Failing in any one of them is disastrous for the business (Zeithalm, 1990). The functional quality of the process of restaurant service determines whether the customer’s expectations have been exceeded, confirmed or have not been met. The Itsu restaurant exceeds the expectations of the mystery shopper, which is the complete opposite with the Yo Sushi restaurant. References Hull, L. (2013). Eternally 21: A Mrs. Frugalicious shopping mystery. Woodbury, Minnesota: Midnight Ink. Kunst, P. (1995). Managing service quality. London: Paul Chapman Pub. Martin, W. (2002). Quality service: What every hospitality manager needs to know. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Newhouse, I. (2004). Mystery shopping made simple. New York: McGraw-Hill. Poynter, J. (2002). Mystery shopping (4th ed.). Denver, Colo.: Leromi. Quality service. (2004). Edinburgh: Scottish Arts Council. Stamatis, D. (1996). Total quality service: Principles, practices, and implementation. Delray Beach, FL: St. Lucie Press. The essential guide to mystery shopping. (2009). Cupertino, CA: HappyAbout.info. The secrets of mystery shopping revealed. (2009). Washington, D.C.: Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Consumer & Business Education. Zeithaml, V., & Parasuraman, A. (1990). Delivering quality service: Balancing customer perceptions and expectations. New York: Free Press Read More