What is a test call?

In a test call, a tester makes a call to a company. This tester pretends to be a customer and behaves like one. After the call, the tester evaluates the call objectively by noting how the customer advisor on the phone behaved and whether the solution offered was satisfactory.  

Such a telephone call can be made to customer service, department heads, other members of the client's company, but also to other companies.

What is the purpose of test calls?

Test calls are primarily used to evaluate the quality of a telephone call. Test calls can be used to determine how customer service on the phone is received by customers. You can also check whether the company's guidelines for dealing with customers are being adhered to.

Test calls are therefore an excellent tool for companies to test the quality of their own service. 

The great thing about test calls is that the employee who takes the call does not know that they are dealing with a test call. That's why he behaves normally and you get an authentic insight into how he proceeds and how he behaves.  

For example, a test caller can call a company's customer service department and make inquiries about a specific product. He then evaluates the call according to criteria such as the following.

Competence

Did the person on the other end of the line know about the product? Did the person have specialist knowledge about the product and could they help me?

Accessibility

How long did it take before I was connected to a real person? How many times did I have to call before I got through? Was there a long waiting queue?

Friendliness

Was the customer service employee friendly? Was I met with a nice tone? How was I greeted? And how was I bid farewell? Was I treated in a friendly manner even after asking annoying questions about the product?   

Sales orientation

After answering my questions, did the service representative try to encourage me to buy the product? Did he try to make the product more attractive to me by mentioning other advantages of the product? Was he pushy in doing so?

However, other criteria specified by the client can also be evaluated.

With whom can a test call be made?

In principle, a mystery call can be carried out at all levels of a company. However, it certainly makes very little sense to call the management level. 

For this reason, test calls mainly focus on calls to the store and calls to the hotline.

Test calls in the store

During a mystery call in the store, a test caller calls the customer's own store. This primarily involves checking the advice and the purchasing process. 

Test call to hotline

When you call the hotline, customer service and complaints management are put through their paces.

Test calls for competition analysis

However, mystery calls are not limited to calls to your own company. Calls to the competition are an excellent way to conduct competitive analysis.

Who should make test calls?

To achieve the best results, you should commission a reputable mystery shopper agency to make the calls for you. This is because a good agency can provide you with objective assessments that you can use to take direct action. 

A study has shown that there are no significant differences between mystery callers and customers in the two important measures of customer experience, satisfaction and gratitude.

Why should you use test calls?

Professionally conducted undercover calls can help you better understand your customers' experiences. Do they have to wait a long time for an advisor or a callback? Do they receive individual, competent and friendly service? With the help of a test call, you can find out all the important aspects for the customer.

You can also offer your employees better training based on the results of a test call. This in turn leads to improved and higher quality customer advice.

Companies that are friendly and competent on the phone stand out from the competition and are remembered by their customers. 

How often should test calls be made?

In order to sustainably improve the customer experience, mystery calls should be made at regular intervals. It has been proven that, depending on the industry in which your company operates, regular calls between two and six months produce the best results.

Conclusion

Mystery calling is a special form of mystery guest research. This type of market research can be used to evaluate telephone contacts with customers. 

In addition to mystery e-commerce and mystery shopping, Mystery.agency specializes in mystery calling. We have a large group of trained experts and market researchers who specialize in mystery calls.