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September 21, 2017 – Results of the mystery shopper visits unveiled

On September 18, SADC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau invited the 31 businesses participating in the 2017 mystery shopper project to attend a conference workshop to allow them to discover their customer experience quality index (IQEC®), as well as the analysis of their multi-channel performance.

Customer experience quality index (IQEC®)

In order to determine the IQEC, each of the businesses received, in the months of July, August and September, the visit of an actual client especially trained by the firm L’Observateur to assess the performance of the business on aspects such as marketing, greeting and staff, service and attitude.

The report card handed out to each business included a grade for every section and an overall percentage grade, in addition to descriptive comments on the visit. The 31 businesses of the Gatineau Valley received an average grade of 82%, four of which having scored 100%. According to Mrs. Michelle Rivard, project manager for L’Observateur, a score above 80% is deemed solid and shows that the business is performing well in terms of customer experience. However, this does not mean that everything is perfect, and efforts must be sustained to maintain and improve this quality index.

Multi-channel performance

As for the multi-channel performance analysis, it allows us to show the place occupied by the business, as well as its performance in various points of contact with the client. We therefore looked at telephone performance (91%), Web presence (46%), social media use (46%) and Web localization (48%). Here, the score represents the space occupied in these sectors by the participating businesses. An average of 67% was earned. We can see that telephone performance, with an average of 91%, has a positive impact on these results, while the other aspects below 50% show gaps to be addressed.

According to Mr. Pierre Monette, general manager of SADC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, this profile shows that businesses are starting to follow suit in terms of adopting information and communication technologies, but that there is still much to be done and that SADC will therefore be maintaining its support to local businesses using various tools suited for the targeted needs.

Individual visits 

In the days after receiving their results, the 31 businesses received the visit of a representative from L’Observateur. In addition to providing an opportunity to discuss the results achieved by businesses, these private meetings were especially important to discuss courses of action to improve the customer experience in each of the establishments.

Mrs. Michelle Rivard and Mr. Jacques Pelletier, both from L’Observateur, are thrilled with these visits and claim to have met very interesting entrepreneurs with a strong entrepreneurial spirit.

A participant’s point of view

For Anik Beauseigle of Assurances Kelly et associés, the opportunity provided by SADC was a chance to validate the level of satisfaction of her clients and to understand how they perceived her business. Following this exercise, she received confirmation that her team successfully met the quality standards expected by clients. Therefore, the business’ motto, “Serving you is a privilege,” makes perfect sense and will remain one of the incentives of the Assurances Kelly et associés team.

Project’s history

This is the third mystery shopper operation organized by SADC. The previous events took place in 2011 and in 2015.

Since the last two editions were conducted by L’Observateur and based on the same parameters, results can be compared. We can therefore say that the IQEC® saw an improvement since 2015, the average then standing at 80% compared with 82% this time around.

Next steps

Participating businesses now have their results in hand. It is up to each of them to decide on steps promoting their development. Some only have minor actions to take, while others will have larger projects to undertake. Regardless of their needs, Mr. Pierre Monette would like to remind people that SADC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau offers various programs and tools that can support local businesses with their development.

In closing, Mr. Monette would like to personally thank each of these 31 businesses that have a positive outlook on their futures. Their interest in taking part in such an exercise shows their desire to perform and improve, as well as their openness to reassess in order to promote business development. Their efforts show their strong desire to successfully serve the existing client base and to leverage this to develop new markets.

Why are we asking you for a personal information sheet and budget at the business project development stage?

The customer experience quality index (IQEC®) in 31 Valley businesses: results for 2017