News: Articles of Interest
TOPIC - How does mystery shopping work?
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL MYSTERY SHOPPING PROGRAM
By Judi Hess, Customer Perspectives
Here at Customer Perspectives™, we know a successful mystery
shopping program doesn't just "happen". After over two decades
in the business, we've got some ideas about what can make a program
work best for you. Consider the following:
Know what your objectives are.
It's important that goals be defined in specific and measurable
terms.
Keep it simple.
It's tempting to develop lengthy questionnaires in an attempt
to cover all possible behaviors, but in our experience, the simpler,
the better. Confusion and frustration are avoided and the information
obtained is more reliable.
Corollary: Allow your mystery
shopping provider adequate time to pre-test the questionnaire
before rolling out the full program. Weak spots will be detected
and modifications can be made more easily and less expensively.
Identify the mystery shopping company
that best suits your company's needs.
Some companies specialize in particular industries; others limit
themselves to defined geographic areas. Some companies offer mystery
shopping as an adjunct to other services such as customer surveys,
concept and design testing, brand image research, and focus group
moderation. Others, like Customer Perspectives™, specialize in
mystery shopping only.
Get your front line on board.
It's vital that the people responsible for the results of the
mystery shopping program - front line employees, supervisors,
store managers and regional managers - understand and are supportive
of the program. This is especially true if incentives are tied
to the mystery shopping program. Before the program is finalized,
management MUST make sure key players are fully informed about
how the program will work and how the results will be used.
Assign adequate supervision on your
end.
A well run mystery shopping program will require administrative
time on your end. Make sure the person assigned to handle the
program has the authority to make decisions and the time to act
on the results (e.g. coach, provide recognition).
Review periodically.
This is important to keep the program fresh and relevant.
If you'd like to talk about ideas for your
mystery shopping program, contact us at 1-800-277-4677 or email
judi@customerperspectives.com.
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