Ben Sargeant talks mystery shopping and the customer journey with AM Online
By Jamie White – Head of Communications
Douglas Stafford Operations Director Ben Sargeant, features in the latest edition of the motoring magazine, AM Online.
Ben was interviewed recently for a feature in the publication focusing around the customer journey and the sales experience measurement at car dealerships in the UK.
Ben, who has been at Douglas Stafford for more than 10 years, was approached by the magazine to add his knowledge and expertise of mystery shopping and customer experience.
He was also asked about the importance of dealer groups embracing mystery shopping and use it in the correct manner to enhance staff performance improvement.
“If dealers embrace things like mystery shopping, it will only have a positive impact. The negativity from being mystery shopped only comes with how it is dealt with by the managers within the dealerships,” said Ben.
Douglas Stafford, which has its head office at Lakeside North Harbour, Portsmouth, works with many of the UK’s leading dealer groups and manufacturers.
“We have seen an increase in the number of dealer groups that are coming to us to analyse and improve the way their staff are following the process. People are becoming more critical of customer service within the sales process,” said Ben.
Video Mystery Shopping is still the most popular choice for dealer groups, with the latest high-quality hidden pin-hole cameras recording the entire experience for managers to get a realistic customer perspective.
In recent years, Douglas Stafford has expanded its services to include online mystery shopping, with staff measured on their response to emails and lead enquiries through a dealer group’s website.
“Even if people are planning to visit a car dealership, many will submit an online enquiry before they visit. The process generally starts online and that’s why it is imperative that companies have the tools and resources to manage those enquiries and deal with them effectively.
“If all sales executives treated customers like mystery shoppers, then there is no doubt that sales would increase,” added Ben.
The full AM Online story can be found here
