What is a mystery shopper, and who do they work for?
Contrary to what many people assume, mystery shopping is part of an organizational process aimed at genuine efficiency and improvement – a goal every business shares with its customers. Through this process, a business’s performance is measured using a mystery shopper. To employees, the mystery shopper appears to be an ordinary customer, but in fact they are carrying out a pre-planned, scheduled visit designed to examine various aspects of the business – whether it’s a store, a restaurant, a café or even a gas station.
Mystery Shoppers in Restaurants
There are two mystery shopping models:
- The client wants to evaluate their own business;
- A business wants to gather information about its competitors – pricing, customer handling and more.
In most cases, the managers of a multi-branch business want to know what is happening at one or more specific branches in their chain. What’s more, they need measurable documentation of the customer experience in order to track trends across branches. Unlike familiar numerical surveys, the mystery shopper method delivers a Quality Measurement that focuses on the customer experience – and, by extension, on measuring service.
Mystery shopping services suit a wide range of businesses, including fashion, fast food, cafés and restaurants, gas stations, mobile carriers, call centers for service and sales, and more.
Audits are carried out using several models:
- In-person mystery shopper – audits performed by undercover surveyors posing as customers, who assess service at points of sale. As noted, the audit is covert, and during it the customer’s impressions and satisfaction with work and service processes – as defined by the organization – are measured. These audits make it possible to identify trends over time while giving employees fast, immediate feedback on their performance. Over the years, mystery shopping has become a fundamental tool in every manager’s toolkit. Mystery shopper/
How Else Are Mystery Shopper Audits Conducted?
- Telephone mystery shopper – operating from a control center, this auditor evaluates the quality of service provided to end customers over the phone. In this type of service audit, calls are recorded using advanced recording systems. Here too, most of the activity is carried out covertly, examining the service processes of call centers or other service providers expected to give the organization’s customers a fast, professional response. The data collected is analyzed to identify problems and weaknesses in call centers or among staff at service and sales points. This pinpoints weak spots and creates a competitive, motivating dynamic between the chain’s branches.
- Active audit: auditors go through the process as ordinary customers, either in person or by phone. Making a purchase is very common in this type of audit. For example, the mystery shopper sits in a restaurant, orders a meal and, along the way, checks the issues defined in advance by the client.
- Passive audit: auditors simply observe the processes taking place at the business.
Companies that provide mystery shopping services use a web-based computerized system that delivers data immediately after audits are completed and allows it to be analyzed independently.
