Mystery Customer Scheme Results

Our website was recently 'mystery shopped' by customers from East Durham Homes and received positive feedback in all areas.

The areas assessed by the mystery shoppers were;

• First impression of the site
• Moving around the website
• Content
• Design
• Usability
• Technology
• General

All of the above areas were rated out of 10 and our website received 7 or 8 for each area. This is a very positive result for our website that was launched in December 2009.

Below is an overview of what the mystery shoppers found in each of the areas;

First impression of the site

The customers found the site inviting and welcoming, the purpose of the site was clear, with good branding and invited the customer to explore the site further. The mystery shopper found the search button easily, found directions to local offices and also how to access 'browsealoud'.

Moving around the website

The mystery shoppers found it easy to find information on the site, to find their way around the site and to navigate back to the homepage. They sated it was 'clear and not too fussy'.

Content

The content was seen to be interesting, relevant and update. The mystery shoppers found Dale & Valley Homes' mission statement easily. They commented that they 'liked the calendar on appropriate pages'.

Design

The mystery shoppers thought the design of the website was good, they said it was attractive and relevant. They said there was a good balance between text and images and they liked the use of local images.

Usability

The customers found they could make a complaint or submit compliments and suggestions online. They could see that the website was available in different languages and they found they could apply for a house, report repairs and get involved online.

Technology

The customers found that the menus on the website helped them, all links worked and there was no problem downloading documents.

Generally

The customers said generally the site was good and scored and 8 out of 10. They said the site was neat and informative, it had a logical layout and they found most information. They stated that the font size was good and they found it easy to access all of the services Dale & Valley Homes provides.