Mystery shopping can provide “genuine and controlled feedback” for a business, according to this article from The Guardian. The article features eight reasons to consider adding mystery shopping—or customer experience evaluationssuch as the kind we provide here at Customer Perspectives:

  1. Monitoring staff: A mystery shopper will give a better picture of how your customer service staff members perform when the managers are not around.
  2. Gaining unbiased information: Though feedback directly from actual customers is invaluable, it can be biased.  A mystery shopper will act like a customer, but will know exactly what to look for in her shopping experience and will give an accurate accounting afterwards.
  3. Identifying needs: You might find, through your mystery shopper, that shelves are untidy or your staff is not knowledgeable about your products. You’ll now be able to identify training opportunities that will alleviate the problems.
  4. Enabling informed decisions: With the problem areas identified and training programs, perhaps, begun, you’ll be able to make informed decisions on future changes in the business or its line of products.
  5. Recognizing staff: Mystery shopping may provide insight into staff members who stand above the rest in terms of their customer service. You can then reward them.
  6. Monitoring progress: Regular mystery shopping can help you see trends over time and implement a program of continuous improvement.
  7. Taking quick action: A mystery shopper’s report may enable you to take action quickly before a minor problem gets out of hand.
  8. Gaining an edge: The information you gather and the changes you make as a result could give you a competitive edge in your industry.