• Mystery Shopping your Customer Experience

  • Proinsight Staff Chloe

    Chloe Kinch

    Director of Client Success | Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    The Importance Of Speedy Response Times

    More often than not, before purchasing a product or booking a service, consumers will want to learn more about a business. In addition to reading reviews and testimonials from previous customers, people will reach out to a business and speak to a member of their team directly. This is especially true if a consumer will be spending a lot of money on a product or service.

     

    Whether consumers fill in an enquiry form on your website, pick up the phone to call your team or use the online chat feature on your website, for example, not only the way you respond, but how quickly you respond is incredibly important. Having speedy response times, even when business is booming and your team is really busy, is crucial to getting new customers and below we have explored the importance of fast responses in more detail.

     

    Why businesses should always reply quickly to enquiries

     

    Simply put, the way you handle enquiries will show prospective customers how much you value them. When you quickly reply to emails or answer the phone after just a few rings, you will be telling consumers that they’re important to you and that you appreciate their interest in your business. This, in turn, will encourage them to invest in your business.

     

    Having a reliable customer service department will also make your business seem more credible and trustworthy too. Consumers will be more likely to buy your products or book your services when they know they can get in touch with you should they experience any problems during the sales process. You will soon gain a reputation for being a reliable business when you have speedy response times and you provide an excellent customer experience.

     

    Of course, it’s worth noting that if a consumer reaches out to more than just one business and you’re the last to reply to them, they’re probably going to invest in one of your competitors. The quicker you are to respond to enquiries and provide useful guidance to any prospective customer that contacts you, the more likely you are to get their business. This is crucial if you’re in a saturated market and lots of other businesses offer the same products or services as you.

     

    In addition to winning over new customers, responding quickly to any enquiries you receive can help you to retain existing customers too. Customers will be more inclined to remain loyal to your business when you exceed their expectations in relation to customer experience and they will know that their future satisfaction will always be important to you.

     

    How a mystery shopper can help you improve response times

     

    Many business owners don’t realise that improving response times is something mystery shoppers can help with. By conducting auditing mystery shopping services, like telephone mystery shopping and online mystery shopping, you can learn more about what your communication is like from a customer’s perspective. The insight you get into your response times, as well as your service levels, from mystery shop audits will be invaluable and it can help you to make any required changes to your customer service processes.

     

    A mystery shopper will interact with your business in the same way any other consumer would. They can complete your online enquiry form or pick up the phone and speak to your customer service team, for example, and they will provide you with honest and constructive feedback about the response they receive. Using the results of auditing mystery shopping services, you can then ensure you’re doing all you can as a business to improve your response times and ultimately, impress all prospective customers that reach out to you.

     

    Working with an auditing mystery shopping company

     

    If you’re worried about your response times and you’d like to speak to an auditing mystery shopping company about improving them, please don’t hesitate to contact our team at Proinsight today. We can help you transform your customer experience using the insight gained through our expert mystery shops and we can assure you that you won’t be disappointed in the quality of our services.

     

    Our mystery shopping audits will be conducted in line with your individual requirements and we will work closely with you to design a mystery shopping package that can help you reach your business goals. We know there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to retail audits and our comprehensive portfolio of services enables us to meet all of your clients’ needs. Feel free to explore our website today to find out more about the services we offer.


    David Hopkins

    David Hopkins

    Managing Director at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    David has a long history in the business of doing good business. In 2008, he co-founded Proleisure, a leisure consulting company, where he identified a growing need for deeper customer insights across the industry. This led to the launch of Proinsight Mystery Shopping in 2014, with a vision to provide businesses with the valuable data needed to enhance customer experience.

    Now, as we approach our 10th year, Proinsight has become a leading provider of specialist mystery shopping, auditing, and research programs, serving a diverse range of sectors across the UK including real estate, fitness, retail, hospitality, and so many more. We remain committed to helping our clients achieve excellence and drive meaningful improvements in their businesses.

    David is deeply committed to enhancing customer service across all industries. His passion lies in providing valuable mystery shopping insights that empower clients to take actionable steps towards improvement. By delivering these insights directly, David helps businesses create effective strategies to elevate their customer experience and drive meaningful change.


    Chloe Kinch

    Chloe Kinch

    Director of Client Success at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    Chloe joined Proinsight Mystery Shopping as an Account Manager in 2017. Prior to her role at Proinsight, she served as National Sales Manager at Parkwood Leisure, where she gained extensive experience in exceeding customer expectations and developed a deep understanding of the leisure industry.

    Chloe quickly advanced within Proinsight, progressing from Account Manager in 2017 to Head of Client Success in 2020, and ultimately to Director of Client Success and shareholder in 2022. In her current role, she leads client relationships with prestigious brands such as David Lloyd, Dyson, and Apple. Chloe is responsible for designing bespoke mystery shopping programs tailored to each client's specific needs, aimed at enhancing customer service and optimising sales processes across various industries, including real estate, hospitality, retail, leisure, and more.


    Lucy Winn

    Lucy Winn

    Brand and Communications Manager at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    After graduating with a degree in Marketing from the University of Westminster, Lucy successfully grew and scaled her own e-commerce womenswear clothing business over a span of four years, expanding into international retail markets including Japan, the US, and France. With extensive expertise in brand development and digital communications, Lucy has driven commercial growth through strategic initiatives like influencer marketing, digital campaign management, and both online and offline retail expansion.

    In July 2024, she joined Proinsight Mystery Shopping as Brand and Communications Manager, where she leads the strategy and management of all digital platforms, including the website and social media, with a focus on driving shopper sign-ups and generating client leads. Additionally, she oversees event management for both internal company days and major external summits like Connect CX. At these events, we emphasise the critical importance of exceptional customer service across various industries, positioning it as a cornerstone of a brand’s overall UX strategy.