고객서비스 품질조사방법으로서 미스터리쇼핑(Mystery Shopping)에 대한 고찰

A Study on Mystery Shopping as a Research Method for Customer Service Quality

&nbsp;&nbsp;Recently many companies is considering customer relationship management system as an important marketing strategy tool, upon realization that the major reason for customer leave is customer service than product quality. Customer service quality can be checked through mystery shopping. In mystery shopping, trained monitors disguised as customers examine customer service, staff sincerity, product, product quality, etc. This study is to understand on mystery shopping, having practical business attention, as a research method for customer service quality.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Mystery shopping as a research method was simply started to monitor and control employees and has gradually become a specialized method focusing on the improvement of customer service. In other words, with the changes of market environment and with the increase of customer expectation in service level, it has been developed as a scientific method enabling evaluation of customer service quality, for the purposes of detecting customer desires at point of purchase and of improving service quality. By checking service quality at point of customer purchase and diagnose a key element through tracking survey of mystery shopping, companies can measure theirs strength and weakness and utilize them for effective customer service management.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Mystery shopping has following benefits: 1) identification on the level of customer service and reinforcement of customer satisfaction, 2) raising morale and motivation of staffs, 3) development of sales service techniques, 4) efficient management of store or franchised agency, 5) identification on strength and weakness between competitors.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;There are several problems to be solved in the mystery shopping methodology in spite of increase in interest with its benefits. First, private life violation is concerned abroad by its secrecy in the investigation of staffs&quot; customer service status. Domestically, some insist its nullification upon worries on labor and management trouble due to its burden toward staffs. Therefore companies implementing mystery shopping should be careful in paying regard to personal life, and in the use of result not to cause any personal damage. Second, non-sampling error due to differences in each monitor&quot;s ability should be minimized. Third, evaluation on the mystery shoppers&quot; honesty and sincerity at stage of data verification is not easy and an alternative to solve this problem is necessary. Fourth, service quality measurement at customer service point should be developed.