This page is about companies using mystery shoppers. For detailed information on how to become a mystery shopper please visit www.mysteryshopperguide.org

Mystery shopping is a modern occurrence in the retail and service companies. No it has nothing to do with a plot of secrecy, the occult, or the unknown. It is, instead, a tool or a strategy now widely popular for business evaluation.

The process uses anonymous shoppers that are trained and armed with evaluation questionnaires. They visit an establishment and evaluate factors such as customer service, product quality, employee integrity, merchandising, and operations. The questionnaires are answered only after the visit, and out of sight of the employees. Detailed reports could also be requested. The establishments seeking this service include hotels, fast food shops, fine dining restaurants, health and fitness centers, associations, government offices, and a whole lot more.

These businesses who seek to improve their profits decide to make use of a mystery shopping program. The company implementing the program will then conduct certain activities that make use of a mystery shopper who will help ensure a positive customer relationship and employee integrity in the future. It will ensure product quality and delivery quality.

The program will also identify training needs for the staff, and un-thought of sales opportunities for the store. It will help a business to have improved customer retention. This is done by providing management with feedback from customers, monitoring service performance, monitoring facility conditions, asset protection, audit pricing & merchandising compliance. The data collected will compliment marketing research data and will also allow for competitive analyses. On the whole, the program will make the employees aware of the importance of serving customers and reinforce positive employee management actions. 

 A good business establishment can utilize the findings well. Before it starts, brief the employees and let them know what is expected of them. Discuss the evaluation form and the questionnaire; let them get into the spirit of the program. This is a better strategy than keeping the program secret.

From the start there will be an improved performance. This is one tactic to use the tool you paid for. When the report comes in, keep in mind that the employees are a part of the bigger organization, and act accordingly. A good feedback should be rewarded. Publishing the findings, promoting, and having a general plan for how to use them is another way of getting the most from the program.

From the feedback, adjustments in operations and trainings can be determined. A good evaluation or questionnaire, to be effective, can be mostly composed of simple questions that can be answered with a simple “yes or no,” with blanks for short sentences explaining the “no” answers. Then interspersed with multiple choice questions that can be answered with a simple check or x on the right choice, then a page devoted to a summary statement, or a more detailed report discussing points not covered in the questionnaire. Evaluation is useful only for things that can be adjusted or changed, so the report should be concentrating on these factors only.

With these tips, a secret shopper can be a good tool for achieving customer satisfaction.