Mystery Shopping

Mystery Shopping was first introduced by Aragon Housing Association in 2008. A group of interested residents attended a one day training session during which they learned how they could test the services provided by Aragon on a practical level. They were given hints and tips on how they could do this, while at the same time remaining anonymous! Since then, other residents have trained to become mystery shoppers but we are always looking for more volunteers.

What is Mystery Shopping?

Mystery Shopping is a form of market research and one way for any organisation to keep track of their performance. For Aragon, it is also a good opportunity for our residents to be involved in monitoring our Customer Care standards and the level of the services we provide, not just for themselves, but on behalf of all our residents and customers. By using our own residents rather than an outside company, we give them a real chance to influence and improve the services we provide.

What does it involve?

Trained residents are asked to make a number of telephone calls (and the occasional personal visit) to any one of Aragon’s service departments or to our reception areas.  Each telephone call or office visit is carefully scripted and designed to test both the customer service skills and technical knowledge of our staff; the results are then reported back on a questionnaire sheet. Once all the feedback is collated, a report is submitted to our management team for them to consider any training needs or changes to our internal procedures. A summary of the findings is also printed in Intouch, our customer newsletter, as a way of informing all tenants of the results.

What are the benefits of becoming a mystery shopper?

Becoming a mystery shopper means that the customer care and services which Aragon provides will be improved for all our customers. In addition, we can provide full training and residents who participate will receive shopping vouchers for as a thank you and towards the cost of expenses they incur in participating in the project.

Interested in becoming a mystery shopper?

If you are interested in becoming a mystery shopper for Aragon, or would like any further information, please contact Sasha McGregor, Community Consultation Officer on 01525 844510 or at sasha.mcgregor@aragon-housing.co.uk.