4 Tips to Maximize Mystery Shopping Results Across Your Organization

Mystery shopping programs are becoming more valuable to a brand’s identity, as customer experience is ensuring the long-term success of brands.

More organizations are beginning to implement mystery shopping programs, throughout many different industries. The value provided by these kinds of programs is not hard to digest. These programs provide granulized feedback directly from active consumers, that assumedly have a passion for good service standards. While brands can use mystery shopping to capture overall customer perception, the best use of these programs is to measure specific aspects along the customer journey, with the goal of finding actionable insights and fixing potential missteps. Apply these 4 tips to your Customer Experience initiative and maximize your mystery shopping program results.

1. Analyze a Specific Aspect of the Customer Experience
   • While understanding your organization’s overall brand perception is important, to directly impact the Customer Experience, a mystery shopping program must analyze a detailed aspect of the Customer Experience. For example, this could be a program looking to better understand the bar area of a luxury restaurant, the frontline service of a retail store, or the efficiency of service provided by a call-center, among countless other options. To get the best information, use a mystery shopping program in tandem with a voice of customer survey campaign, to capture the a diverse range of customer opinions. The surveys can help illuminate which areas of the customer journey that a brand can focus its mystery shopping program on.
2. Keep the Assignments Simple
   • Mystery shoppers are typically completing these projects as a side-gig to earn extra income, so most of the time shoppers will not be willing to do assignments that require an extensive amount of work. While there are exceptions depending on the value-added to the shopper, typically a large bonus is required to convince people to participate. Additionally, the more complicated the instructions, the more likely that these shops will not be accepted by quality assurance. To ensure data integrity, shoppers must follow the rules and guidelines to a tee, so the easier it is to stay inside these lines the more likely it is that shoppers will be able to successfully gather data for your brand.
3. Provide Adequate Value to The Shopper
   • One of the most damaging things that can happen to a mystery shopping program is inability to find shoppers willing to take the time to complete assignments. The best mystery shopping programs are those that take this into consideration, and strive to make the experience mutually beneficial for both the brand and the shopper. This value does not always have to be actual cash, but can be a comped version of the product or service that the shopper is attempting to measure. In doing so, you are not only gathering insights about your Customer Experience, but also starting a relationship with a new potential customer.
4. Choose the Right Mystery Shopping Vendor
   • The most important determining factor of a mystery shopping program’s success is the ability of the organization that designs, manages, and implements the program itself. Just like other industries, there are different shapes and sizes of mystery shopper vendors that best match up with the organizations that hire them. Smaller brands can get away with vendors who have a lesser-scope or use third-party resources, but larger programs should look for a vendor that has the capability to fill the shops without unnecessary delays or added cost. A good resource to find the best suited vendors for your brand is to visit the Mystery Shopper Providers Association website, and access their directory of accredited vendors.

To learn more about how mystery shopping can impact your organization’s Customer Experience, contact us at Second To None, or read some of the information provided on our site here.

Mystery Shopping FAQs

How can you maximize the results of a mystery shopping program across your organization?

To maximize results, focus on analyzing specific aspects of the customer experience, keep assignments simple to ensure data accuracy, provide adequate value to the shopper, and choose the right vendor for your program’s needs.

Why is it important to keep mystery shopping assignments simple?

Keeping assignments simple ensures that mystery shoppers can easily follow guidelines, leading to accurate data collection and successful program outcomes.

How does the right vendor impact a mystery shopping program?

Choosing the right vendor ensures that the program is well-designed, managed efficiently, and aligned with your brand’s specific needs, leading to better insights and overall success.

The true path to customer joy begins with immersion. At Second To None, we don’t simply ask your customers about their perceptions, observations, interactions, and experiences.

We truly become your customers.

Snapshot is our mystery shopping program, which has been core to our company since our founding in 1989. Whether in-store, online, on app, or beyond, we uncover key drivers of the customer experience that are responsible for improving customer satisfaction. You’ll understand what customers are experiencing each and every day. Learn more about Snapshot.