Initial Assumptions
The commitment and substantive preparation of sales hotline employees are key elements for achieving success in sales. For our partner in the automotive industry, we conducted a telephone mystery shopping study. We carried it out with a sample of 200 telephone interviews with hotline employees, allowing us to verify service standards with as many service personnel as possible. Conducting a Mystery Shopping Study enables control over the entire sales process, followed by improving service quality and strengthening customer relationship-building methods. By identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the sales process, we increase profits and maximize customer satisfaction.
Implementation
The conducted study aimed to:
- Determine customer service standards by hotline consultants
- Verify the sales process implemented by employees
- Diagnose the level of customer satisfaction
- Develop recommendations for improving service standards and customer satisfaction for the automotive service
Results
During the 200 telephone interviews, 54 service consultants were identified. In a few cases, immediate contact with the sales hotline was successfully established, allowing for direct entry into the sales process. The study allowed for:
- Diagnosing a low level of up-selling, i.e., selling additional products. It was recommended to increase the emphasis on offering additional services by hotline consultants.
- Determining a method to standardize the sales closing process.
- Identifying the need for more frequent inquiries about details when the customer is undecided. Due to the sale of specialized products, greater skill in conducting a conversation and presenting offers in an understandable way should be required by some hotline employees.
- Noticing several cases of employees lacking appropriate sales competencies, manifested by not following accepted service standards during the conversation and neglecting undecided customers.
The implementation of the study allowed our client to implement corrective actions that should ultimately increase customer satisfaction and improve the sales level of offered products.
