If you manage a network of schools, courses, or universities, you have likely noticed that students and their parents have increasingly high expectations.
We know that ensuring customer satisfaction isn't easy. But it's essential!
Because it directly impacts the company's results. And its management.
In this sense, mystery shopping is a solution for improving not only the service provided to students (and their parents), but the overall customer experience.
And this is reflected in student satisfaction and enrollment figures.
So, to help you improve your management skills, weāve put together this article showing how mystery shopping can enhance the student experienceāand, of course, deliver better results.
So, check out everything below!
Mystery shopper in the education sector
First of all, if you don't know what a mystery shopper is, let us explain!
Generally speaking, a mystery shopper is a freelance researcher. They are selected based on your companyās target audience profile and trained to evaluate the customer experience, purchasing process, or customer service at a business.
Because they are trained, mystery shoppers provide a professional and unbiased evaluation.
In addition, a researcher is always a potential customer. After all, they will get to know your business and may become a customer themselves or recommend it to others.
In the education sector, a mystery shopper can be a student. Or, in the case of schools or programs focused on early childhood education, a parent acting as a mystery shopper.
šš¼ But what do mystery shoppers look for when evaluating educational institutions?
The mystery shopper survey is designed to evaluate all factors that impact a studentās experience. In particular, these include:
- student and parent support processes;
- the friendliness of the administrative staff, coordinators, and directors;
- the teaching method;
- the school's infrastructure;
- the use of technological resources;
- the organization and sanitation of the premises;
- the qualifications of teachers;
- communication;
- school and communication supplies;
- competitive advantages;
- among others.
By the way, would you like to know what the main complaints are in the education sector?
We collected this data from Reclame Aqui. Check it out here!
What types of educational institutions can be evaluated?
Mystery shoppers can evaluate virtually all types of educational institutions. For example:
- private schools
- language courses
- college prep courses
- colleges
- universities
- preparatory courses
- graduate programs
- and much more!
And how does the mystery shopper evaluate schools and courses?
Finally, itās worth knowing the most common approaches and scenarios that a mystery shopper uses to evaluate schoolsā services, sales channels, and communication strategies.
The main ones are:
- online access to the website or learning platform;
- telephone support and follow-up;Ā
- in-person experiences (open houses and guided tours);
- trial classes;
- among other events and activities.
Interesting, isn't it?
Well, then. So far, weāve covered the aspects that mystery shoppers evaluate in an educational institution.
Next, weāll look at how you can use this research to improve your results.
Can you see it yet?
So keep reading, and I'll show you how!
How a manager should use mystery shopping
There are a few strategies for conducting a mystery shopper survey.
But the choice depends on one important factor: how clear your company is about the processes that impact the customer experience.
For example, if the company already has well-defined processes, the best option would be to commission a survey to validate training programs or monitor operations on the ground.
However, if your company does not yet have well-defined processes, the survey can provide a comprehensive assessment of employee performance.Ā
This makes it possible to address weaknesses quickly and develop a medium- and long-term action plan.
So, here are the key strategies. Check them out!
Team Training Validation
Does your company already have well-defined customer service, sales, and after-sales processes?
If the answer is yes, she can hire a mystery shopper to verify that employees are following the guidelines they have been given.Ā
In other words, to verify whether what was taught in a training session has actually been absorbed and is being put into practice on a daily basis.
In fact, it is used to evaluate all staff members, from receptionists and administrative staff to teachers, coordinators, and school principals.
A Student's Perspective on the Company's Assessment
For companies that do not yet have well-defined processes, mystery shopping provides a comprehensive assessment of the student experienceāor that of the studentsā parents.
This assessment covers everything from customer service and sales processes to the mystery shopperās evaluation of the schoolās facilities, teaching methods, and all the points listed above. āš¼ š
In this regard, the key advantage of a mystery shopper is the wealth of detail they provide in their report.
Monitoring the student experience
Mystery shoppers can also be hired to monitor processes and/or the student experience.
Typically, the marketing or customer experience team commissions periodic evaluations to ensure that the customer loyalty strategy is being implemented correctly.
However, conducting regular evaluations within your company also supports the improvement and creation of new processes, products, and experiences focused on customer satisfaction.
Analysis of competing schools
It is also worth noting that mystery shopping can be used to analyze competitive advantages in a specific market and conduct benchmarking.
Maintain consistency across all locations in the network
Finally, for school networks and educational franchises looking to standardize their services, mystery shopping is also an excellent strategy.
Especially considering that this is a major challenge for many companies.
In this regard, periodic evaluations help ensure consistent quality standards across the entire school network.Ā
Above all, because of the objectivity that research provides compared to other internal evaluation methods.Ā
ā¦Ā
Phew! Those are the main strategies for using mystery shoppers.
As you can see, there are lots of possibilities, right?
Well, letās now briefly go over one of the most interesting aspects: the reasons for hiring a mystery shopper at a school.
Objectives of a mystery shopper project
As you can see, the hidden client is a very versatile solution.
As such, it can be used by different teams within a company.
For example, sales, marketing, customer experience, and customer service, among others.
But each team has a specific goal.Ā
So, thatās what weāll briefly cover next.
Business and operational objectives
Typically, when the mystery shopper is hired by the sales or operations team, the goal of the project is to improve customer service, sales performance, and the sales pitch in order to:Ā
- increase sales conversions;
- and increase the average check.
Marketing and customer experience objectives
On the other hand, when it comes to a project led by the marketing or customer experience team, the goal is to understand the customer experience and develop an action plan to:
- increase customer satisfaction;
- increase customer retention or loyalty;
- develop new products or customer-centric experiences.
Objectives of the Ombudsman's Office and Customer Service
Finally, in projects managed by an ombudsman team or customer service department, the goal of gaining a detailed understanding of customersā pain points is:Ā
- reduce the customer complaint rate;
- improve problem-solving skills
In addition, these teams also aim to identify areas for improvement in other departments' processes.
Now that you know all about mystery shopping in education, can you imagine the results it can help you achieve?
That's rightāthe benefits of this investment are numerous and tangible.
See below what our customers have to say! šš¼ š¤
Success Story: Happy Group (franchise network)
Using mystery shoppers, the Happy Group has increasedenrollment at its franchise schools by up to 150%.
Expertise in mystery shopping in education
Finally, when it comes to investing in research, nothing demonstrates the stakes better than successful examples.
Since its founding, Mister O. has always operated in the education sector. In fact, one of our first clients was an educational center focused on vocational courses, CETEP Ensino.Ā
Since then, we have carried out major projects for language schoolsāsuch as the Rockfeller Language Center and Cultura Inglesa franchise networks.Ā
In fact, some of our clients have been recognized by the ABF for their excellence in franchising.
In addition to serving Brazil's largest basic education group, Eleva EducaĆ§Ć£o.
So, if you want to ensure the success of your project, donāt hesitate to contact us and request a quote.Ā
After all, we want to be partners in your success! š
