Last Updated on July 3, 2024 by The ZenMaid Team
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You started your cleaning business from the ground up, so you understand the importance of delivering exceptional service and maintaining high standards. But do you feel confident about evaluating your staff’s performance and your customers’ experience?
In this article, weโre breaking down how to set up an evaluation program through mystery shopping, inspired by a presentation from cleaning industry expert and founder of Glisten Academy, Katie Pearse. Youโll learn how to leverage customer insights, enhance staff motivation, and boost customer satisfaction.
Benefits of a mystery shopping experience
Customer evaluation programs, like mystery shopping, have become increasingly popular across industries. By integrating one into your cleaning business, you gain valuable feedback that reaches beyond traditional customer reviews. These evaluations provide deep insights into your staff’s interactions with clients, enable you to identify areas for improvement, and help you maintain high-quality standards. They also offer unique educational opportunities for your customers, enhancing their overall satisfaction and fostering a new appreciation for your services.
The components of a comprehensive evaluation program
So, letโs dive into the essential components of setting up a mystery shopper. From assessing staff interactions and cleaning standards to evaluating your online presence and customer journey and leveraging effective communication for upselling opportunities, we’ll explore how these aspects will set you up for evaluation success.
Take note: weโre going to use the phrase โevaluation programโ and โmystery shopperโ interchangeably, but they mean the same thing!
Staff interactions and cleaning standards
A comprehensive evaluation program assesses various aspects of your staff’s interactions with clients. This includes their appearance, professionalism, and adherence to uniform compliance. Evaluators also examine the cleanliness of equipment, like vacuums and cleaning bags, ensuring they meet your expectations. Specific cleaning tasks, like cleaning the underside of the toilet, are checked for thoroughness. By evaluating these components that can easily be overlooked, you can ensure consistency and maintain a high level of service quality.
Online presence and your customerโs journey
A strong online presence is crucial for any business in today’s digital age. A comprehensive evaluation program takes into account your website’s usability, the ease of online booking, and the overall customer journey. Evaluators explore your website, booking process, and social media presence to assess the user experience and identify any areas that may need improvement. This feedback enables you to enhance your online presence and streamline the customer journey, ultimately increasing customer satisfaction and what we call โuser experience.โ
Communication and upselling opportunities:
No matter what industry a business operates in, streamlining communication is a necessity. A comprehensive evaluation program allows you to gather valuable feedback on customer communication. Evaluators can assess staff responsiveness, clarity in addressing customer queries, and their ability to inform clients about additional services.
This feedback enables you to address miscommunications, promptly inform clients about services you offer, and create upselling opportunities, further enhancing customer satisfaction and revenue potential.
Implementing a mystery shopping program
To implement an effective evaluation program in your cleaning business, consider the following steps from Katie Pearse:
Step 1: Establishing a Pool of Evaluators (or โShoppersโ)
Start by building a pool of evaluators who can conduct assessments on your behalf. These evaluators can be independent contractors, dedicated staff members, or even selected customers who are willing to provide feedback. Aim for diversity among evaluators to ensure a range of perspectives in the assessments.
Step 2: Training and Guidelines
Provide in-house training to your evaluators to ensure they understand the evaluation criteria, objectives, and reporting process. Develop clear guidelines outlining the specific aspects they should evaluate and instructions on reporting their findings. Create a really easy way for them to report their feedback, for instance, a link to a Google Form. The easier this process is for your shoppers, the easier it will be to see results.
Step 3: Scheduling Evaluations
Establish a schedule for evaluations to ensure consistency and regular feedback. Assign evaluators to specific dates and locations to ensure full coverage of your business operations. Consider assigning two to three monthly evaluations to each employee or team to maintain a high level of performance across all appointments.
Step 4: Reporting and Feedback
Develop a system for collecting and reviewing evaluation reports as a team. Establish a structured feedback process that provides constructive criticism to staff members while recognizing their strengths. Regularly share evaluation findings with staff, highlighting areas for improvement and acknowledging exceptional performance.
Step 5: Incentives and Recognition
Motivate your staff to actively participate in the evaluation program by offering incentives and recognition. Rewards can include cash bonuses, recognition in company newsletters or meetings, or promotions based on outstanding performance in evaluation reports. You foster a motivated and engaged workforce by creating a participation and continuous improvement culture.
Expanding your program to commercial cleaning
For commercial cleaning services, you can adapt the evaluation program to suit the unique requirements of organizations. Instead of traditional mystery shoppers, consider sending regular surveys to selected members of the organizations you clean for. This approach allows you to gather feedback from different perspectives within the organization, ensuring that all stakeholders’ opinions are considered.
Wrapping up
Starting a mystery shopper program in your cleaning business is a strategic approach that brings numerous benefits. By leveraging customer insights, you can assess staff performance, identify areas for improvement, and enhance overall customer satisfaction. With a well-implemented evaluation program, you foster a culture of excellence, motivation, and continuous improvement within your cleaning business. Embrace the power of customer evaluation to unlock the full potential of your cleaning business!
Your next step
If you found this article helpful for your maid service, you may also like:
- The Day I Said Goodbye to 9-to-5: My Journey to Starting ZenMaid
- Cleaning Business Supplies: What You Need for Residential and Commercial Cleaning
- How to Market a Cleaning Business: 10 Strategies that Actually Work
- How to start a cleaning business in Kansas
- How to Start a Cleaning Business in Mississippi
This article is based on a presentation by Katie Pearse.
This talk first aired at the 2022 Maid Service Success Summit. The Maid Summit is an annual online event that brings together the most successful leaders in the cleaning industry, like Debbie Sardone, Angela Brown, Courtney Wisely, Amy Caris, Chris Schwab, and more. Get free access to masterclasses and workshops to help you grow, scale, and automate your cleaning business to get more leads and profit.
Make sure youโre on our email list to find out how to get free tickets to the next event.
