Mystery shopping to assess service levels at police helpdesks
Examples of our Work - Mystery Shopping
Background
This client, a Police Authority, is an independent body responsible for monitoring the work of its Constabulary. Some of their many responsibilities include maintaining professional standards within the Force and reviewing and evaluating the Force's performance. In order to assess levels of service provided at police helpdesks, PCP was commissioned to conduct a 'mystery shopping' survey.
Objectives
To assess police response to simple enquiries made in person and by telephone.Methodology
A total of 48 visits across 12 stations were made using mystery shoppers and a number of different scenarios. The mystery shoppers used offered a mix of genders and ages to allow us to explore whether staff attitudes were influenced by these factors. Factors such as staff courtesy and professionalism, quality of information given, time taken per enquiry, front counter environment and accessibility were assessed.
Outcome
This project assessed the police response to simple enquiries made in person and over the telephone at police stations across Derbyshire. Each enquiry was recorded using a structured marking grid allowing for both descriptive comments and quantitative data. The resulting information was then analysed by scenario and helpdesk, to highlight high and low performing branches and areas where knowledge seemed to be lacking.
Mystery shopping projects have been successfully completed with a number of different Police Authorities all gained through recommendation on completion of our initial projects
