We all know an essential requirement of any multi-site operation is that customers experience a consistent brand and retail environment irrespective of the location they visit.
Our experience tells us that standards can vary enormously across a national network. Whilst this maybe something that’s looked at internally, the lack of an independent and consistent way of measuring audit standards, no online platform for storing the images or data, and crucially limited reporting of performance or the ability to track how and when audit failures are put right, can mean that customers’ experiences vary dramatically.
Benefits of auditing
Auditing is an undeniable tool in identifying areas for improvement but also in assessing the strength of their location’s housekeeping/operations. These assessments highlight discrepancies between existing practices and standard expectations by both the brand and the customers.
- Auditors provide a neutral and independent perspective on the conditions of the site. They can put themselves in the customer’s shoes to pick up items that may affect a customer’s experience. They will compare each element monitored against a pre-agreed standards document to ensure it is graded against the brand’s expectations.
- Photo evidence of the element(s) shows transparency of scoring by the auditor. PiP’s quality control process ensures all photos meet the specified criteria, and review of any markings if required.
- Online reporting helps to analyse results from the scoring, engagement of location sites, rectification progress and pass/fail performance. These insights support management in making decisions on which areas the network need to focus improvements on and allocating appropriate resources for this. The data can help drive innovation around business practices, helping to stay ahead in a rapidly changing retail environment.
Role of technology in auditing
Performance in People (PiP) is the UK’s largest mystery shopping supplier and has invested significantly in developing technologies to deliver the most compelling audit solution for their clients, much in the same way they have innovated to become market leaders within the mystery shopping industry.
PiP’s new technologies help provide independent measurements, encourage rectification of sub-par elements and engagement analysis on your audits:
- Auditors input results via a dedicated assessor webpage
As the auditor visits your site’s location, they will directly input the condition of each element monitored into a dedicated assessor webpage via their tablet or phone. Each question will trigger if a supporting picture(s) need to be taken. This ensures all required evidence is captured within the audit. The auditor submits the audit results which are uploaded into our in-house systems ready for its quality control process.
- Rectifications encouraged via the Audit Action Log
Certain questions can be set within the report to trigger rectification actions. These are elements the location could fix themselves after their audit. The log allows the user to track their progress in fixing the element and provide photo evidence once completed. Moreover, certain brand contacts can be enabled to approve or reject any completed audit action plans. Head Office contacts can download action plan statuses and engagement of viewing audit results into dedicated Excel reports.
- Set pass/fail parameters based on individual questions and/or overall scoring
Like a driving test, questions can be set within the report as “Minor” or “Major”. A limit can be set on how many questions the location can fail within each of those categories (e.g. 5 for Minor and 1 for Major). If the location goes above those limits, they fail the audit. A pass/fail can also be set-up based on the overall score of the audit (e.g. 75%). Alternatively, both pass/fail methods can be activated on the report. The pass/fail verdict will be clearly visible on PiP’s ‘Vision’ reporting platform and has dedicated Excel reports showing results for the whole network.
- Screen recordings for website audits
Website are often drastically different across individual locations and can miss key information desired by the brand. These are usually the first touchpoint for a customer so those first impressions matter. PiP auditors view the individual site’s website and cross-check that all required elements are viewable. The journey of auditing the website is captured via a screen-recording technology and is made visible online to view.
Contact us
It’s fair to say that auditing can have a direct impact on brand standards. The detailed insights they provide can help to both maintain and improve the in-store experience for customers and the environment for your staff. Our team of experts at Performance in People are here to help you gain a better understanding of your sites and how you can improve standards. Our auditing services can be tailored to your specific needs, and we aim to help site locations ensure every customer leaves satisfied.
If you would like to find out more about PiP’s auditing services, contact us directly:
enquiries@performanceinpeople.co.uk or 01983 568080.
