Written reporting (mystery shopping)

Written reporting is of value when the staff who read the reports can trust the findings. It is this simple fact that drives us away from the 'tick list' style reporting favoured by many of the volume operators.

At Tern we believe that a good programme is one which provides qualitative information at store level and quantitative information at regional and company level.

It is this fact that makes us stand out in the crowd. We understand the sales process and truly believe that if front line staff have a better understanding of the process and how it integrates with the provision of quality service, they will be better equipped to improve their own selling skills, achieve higher transaction values and attain greater job satisfaction.

The backbone of any mystery shopping programme is the survey. We take great pride in designing a bespoke survey for every new client and welcome the opportunity to refine and perfect the survey as the programme develops. We do not limit ourselves to basic Yes and No questions. Whilst some aspects of service benefit from this measurement approach, there are many aspects of staff performance that are better served by multiple choice questions. To see the full range of questions that we have at our disposal, please see our software demo

Many of our programmes employ both written and video visits as both of these services are managed in-house (no sub-contracting here). The beauty of a mixed programme is that both visit types employ the same survey so the result is completely seamless. The scores of the video visit are supported by the accompanying DVD and the scores of the written visits are supported by the written statements within the report.

The written statements within our reports are unique in the industry. Our shoppers are specifically recruited and trained with their ability to write a good report in mind. When a store manager is faced with a mystery shopping report full of statistics and needs to de-brief his or her staff based on these findings, we believe that this task is easier and more productive when the shopper has written adequate supporting text to justify their responses.