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MYSTERY AUDITS / MYSTERY SHOPPING

Mystery audit popularly knowns as decoy customers/ mystery shopping/ secret hopper is a tool used externally by market research companies, vigilant organisations, or internally by companies themselves to measure the quality of service, or compliance with regulation, or to gather specific information about products and services.

Authored by Huzefa Kaka, Director

Compelling need

Mystery audit popularly knowns as decoy customers/ mystery shopping/ secret hopper is a tool used externally by market research companies, vigilant organisations, or internally by companies themselves to measure the quality of service, or compliance with regulation, or to gather specific information about products and services.

In modern times management, competitor, and regulator use technique of mystery shopping or mystery audits to identify facts, frauds, to check on ethical and responsive behavioural traits, etc. Recently regulators have also come up with guidelines in various fraud-prone areas with a requirement to mandatorily have mystery audits conducted by independent agencies at branches for better conformity to the guidelines, evaluation, and monitoring.

JHS approach

Mystery audits / Mystery shopping is done through an independent agency for better control check and reporting. Scope and approach cover:

decoy scenarios designing specifically to the organisation

roll-out strategies

timings

approach with decoy identity, through online modes:

Phone or Video Call

Dummy email

Online interviews / surveys / Request for Quotations

persuasive techniques to circumvent the set policies and guidelines

mixing of spurious with original

domination to gain undue advantage

Mystery reporting highlights opportunities for improvements in all areas of your organisation client service experience improves dramatically.

Reporting Kit

Flash reporting of possible fraud

Detailed Report to the management on actions/scenarios performed with outcomes

Develop a scorecard to track, trend and match with past performance

Check on cross-selling / up-selling / misselling

Delivered Benefits

Increased customer satisfaction

Demonstration of the importance of ethical relation of staff with the customers

The motivation of employees to be always professional

Detection of any deficiencies, honest feedback, displays, etc.

Reduction in cost of advertising due to new customers from these satisfied customers

Competitive advantage

Keep update of current pricing strategies and market sentiments

JHS Experience

A leading fast-growing private bank in the areas of:

A foreign bank:

Consumer electronics:

Hospital:

Branch audit

Gold audit – mixing spurious gold for more substantial gold loan benefit

Branch audit

Pricing & Discounting strategies

Disguised as prospective patient’s relatives and checking on lab test rates

COVID TIMES – SCENARIOS

There is an unprecedented rise in thefts and crime incidents where the organisational guard has weakened. It is a perfect time for fraudsters to take advantage of open vulnerabilities and collude with customers, vendors, and competitors to make petty gains/ strike deals.

Information assets, trade secrets, pricing strategies are at risk. Desperate selling and Mis-selling is on the rise as targets are not achieved under such difficult circumstances.

Mystery audit is an excellent tool in spotting the black sheep in the organisation.

For more information, you can contact huzefa.kaka@jhsassociates.in