More context. Greater awareness. Faster translation into concrete actions.
The right atmosphere, an engaged employee, the right advice at the right moment — these are the details that determine whether a customer buys, returns… or chooses a competitor.
Many organisations measure customer satisfaction through surveys. But one crucial question often remains unanswered:
what really happens on the shop floor or in the contact centre — and how does that compare to your competitors?
At Multi-Value, we see that clients who already conduct customer experience research achieve their biggest improvements by adding two complementary methodologies: benchmark studies and employee perception assessments.
The reality on the floor: you only see it when you compare
Een klant kan tevreden zijn over jouw locatie of klantenservice. Maar als de concullega nét persoonlijker adviseert, sneller helpt of sterker afsluit, kan deze alsnog overstappen en verlies je alsnog de A customer may be satisfied with your service. But if a competitor offers more personal advice, faster support, or a stronger closing, you may still lose the sale.
With a benchmark study, you experience your own service through the eyes of the same customer who also interacts with your competitors.
Our mystery shoppers:
- visit your locations (or contact your service centre) and those of competitors
- follow the same scenario and ask the same questions
- evaluate based on identical criteria
- report on their switching intentions and reasons
What this reveals:
- Is the customer truly helped or just “served”?
- Is there genuine, personal attention throughout the journey?
- How strong is the sales advice and guidance?
- Are employees proactive and offering suggestions?
- How does the interaction end?
👉 And most importantly: would the customer buy here — or at your competitor?
After completing their visits, the mystery shoppers answer a number of additional questions, indicating where they had the best and the least positive experience. This gives you a clear and precise understanding of how your location or team performs compared to competitors, allowing you to define concrete improvement actions.
The uncomfortable (but valuable) truth: employees often see it differently
How employees perceive the experience often differs from reality. That’s why measuring employee perception is so powerful.
Employees evaluate their own interaction or location using the same questionnaire as the mystery shoppers.
The result:
- Direct comparison between perception and reality
- Insight into where teams overestimate (or underestimate) their performance
- Stronger employee engagement for optimizing customer experience
- Clear prioritisation of improvement areas (where the biggest perception gaps are)
This proves to be a powerful tool for coaching and team development tool as it increases employees’ awareness of how their behaviour is perceived by customers. For example:
- Employees believe they are proactive, while customers don’t experience it that way
- The impact of body language and initiative is underestimated
- Closing moments lack commercial strength
From insight to improvement: what really works
Our clients who are already using this approach see quick results — not through major transformations, but through targeted improvements:
- More proactive greetings and connection
- More personal advice and tailored suggestions
- Asking deeper questions (needs, preferences)
- Stronger closing techniques
These are the moments that turn browsing into buying.
For our existing clients: the missing link
If you already work with customer experience research via Multi-Value, you have a strong foundation.
But by adding:
- competitor benchmarking
- employee perception insights
you unlock the opportunity to take your customer experience to the next level.
Curious how your locations really perform?
Many clients are surprised by what they discover:
- hidden commercial opportunities
- clear differences between locations
- directly actionable improvements
Get in touch with Multi-Value and discover how benchmark studies and employee perception insights can elevate your customer experience.