Image for What is Mystery Shopping and How Does it Work PostPerhaps you’ve been asking yourself, “What is mystery shopping?” This industry report from MysteryShopping.org breaks it down this way:

Mystery shopping:  

  • Measures quality of service
  • Evaluates compliance with regulations and workforce development objectives
  • Gathers specific information about products and services.

So what kinds of businesses use mystery shopping?  Typical clients include:

  • Retailers of all types – clothing, grocery, department, sporting, etc.
  • Fast casual restaurant chains
  • Fine dining restaurants
  • Financial institutions
  • Insurance companies
  • Home builders
  • Apartment communities
  • Physicians
  • Healthcare companies and facilities
  • Automotive sales and service
  • Hotels, resorts and timeshares
  • Theme parks, museums, theaters
  • Educational institutions
  • Professional and amateur sports
  • Gaming industry
  • Government agencies (i.e., DOT)
  • Municipal government (libraries, parks)

A typical mystery shopping program can show a company whether a company’s operational policies are consistently executed by…    

  • Measuring employee performance and productivity.
  • Measuring the extent to which a company’s team supports their brand identity.
  • Uncovering the disconnect between corporate culture, policy, and customer experience.
  • Quantifying the company’s workforce impact, and the need for future investment in human resource  capital and job development.

The report states: “Managing the customer experience is the largest investment some businesses make in their operations and can be the most critical component to their success. Achieving a high degree of alignment between customers’ desires and expectations and the processes designed to meet them is key in achieving the optimal customer experience.”

If you’re still wondering, “What is mystery shopping?” you can LEARN MORE AT MYSTERYSHOP.ORG, the website of The Mystery Shopping Professionals Association of North America (MSPA-NA).