Question: How long does it take a user/customer to find the key contact information on the website?
Expected result: The contact information should be clearly visible and be found in a few seconds (maximum 30 seconds) when the website is first accessed.
Question: How many and what options does a user/customer have to contact you?
Expected result: We expect at least 2 contact channels through which the user/customer can reach the company. Any additional contact options or special service functions are noted on the evaluation page.
Question: When and for how long are you available for a user/customer?
Expected result: The service times should be set so that they are available to the user/customer beyond the core working hours of 9 am – 5 pm.
Question: What is the public opinion of the company?
Expected result: The majority of testimonials and reviews should be positive.
Question: How long does it take for a user/customer to receive a response from you?
Expected result: We measure the time it takes the company to respond to mystery enquiries*. Outstanding companies respond within 48 hours. Responses received after 7 days are no longer included in the score.
*The average values of all measurements count
Question: Were the user’s/customer’s questions answered with sufficient service quality?
Expected result:
We measure service quality on the basis of the following objective characteristics, which are included in the assessment in descending order of weighting:
Depending on the industry, we identify the companies with the best service. These companies set the benchmark for their sector.
The points are determined and translated into the analysis scores purely on the basis of the results from the mystery shopping. A linear scoring key with a maximum score of 100 is used for this purpose. In principle, award-winning companies have an average response time of ≤ 48 hours and a minimum quality score of 80%.
With the help of specially conducted contacts, we are able to evaluate the service directly and quantify the results in a convincing manner.
Authentic enquiries about the products on offer are formulated with the help of virtual test customers. These enquiries are created in the context of new customer scenarios with the primary aim of simulating a business transaction.
Our special attention is focussed on the written communication channels. This enables us to create a precise and comparable overall picture of an entire industry.
At least three enquiries are made, with the exact number of enquiries varying depending on the responses received from the companies concerned. Our sophisticated algorithm is able to recognise the point at which the responses obtained lead to reliable measurement aggregation. Typically, the number of requests required is in the range of three to seven to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the service processes.
The enquiries always include at least two or more questions relating to a specific product. Our main focus is not primarily on assessing the technical depth, but rather on capturing fundamental aspects of customer service. We attach particular importance to ensuring that the enquiries have been handled carefully and that they have been dealt with comprehensively. The enquiries should be able to be answered by any customer service employee of a company, even without detailed specialist knowledge of the products in question.
The enquiries are sent simultaneously to all companies, and this is done using identical questions in terms of content. In this respect, we have technological solutions that ensure equal and fair treatment. Within this framework, every company has the opportunity to win the benchmark study. The decisive factors here are the quality of the answers provided and a fast response time.
The analysis is carried out using a hybrid approach that includes both automated technical processes and a manual check. Automated processes record key figures such as the measured response time and the receipt of confirmations. At the same time, we subject each response received to a thorough manual assessment focussing on the quality and relevance of the response.