As far as mystery shopping programs are concerned, integrity is everything; and this means the service provider, the mystery shoppers themselves and the data they provide to the client. How successful a program is all depends on whether associates buy into the program - since no program can work if associates do not believe in it.
You receive requests for score changes from more than 2% of shops
If managers cannot believe the information the service provides them, they are not going to put it to use. You may see requests for score changes for any number of reasons - flat denials of information provided by mystery shoppers, avowals that an employee mentioned in the report no longer works there, etc. These requests can skew the data and render its value questionable.
Improved scores bear no relation to the opinions of your customers
If find that there is a lot of difference between what you see in your customer service data and what you are hearing from your mystery shopping service, then you should probably look closely at both sets of data. You will also need to evaluate how you are using this information and how each relates to the other. For instance, if you are seeing a significant improvement in your mystery shopping data but not hearing the same thing from your customers, then you might need to take a look at whether your mystery shoppers are genuinely qualified and whether they are correctly assessing things based on the criteria they should be using. If your program is working properly, the data they give you should mirror what you hear from your customers and vice versa.
Your managers are talking to each other about issues with the program
For a mystery shopping program to be effective, it requires buy in from store managers and staff. If store managers are gossiping amongst themselves about how the program is not working, you've got a problem. Frontline staff will quickly catch on, and the detrimental 'trickle down' affect will soon be obvious.
You are hearing entirely too much talk about credibility
Naturally, credibility is incredibly important. However, if the mystery shopping service throws the word around like it is going out of style, you may need to ask them if:
a) they understand what credibility means
b) if credibility is genuinely the highest priority of the company and its employees
c) if everyone agrees that anything less than credible is completely unacceptable
A truly credible mystery shopping program should use objective criteria (which should be transparent to you as a client) and provide you with raw data, since the numbers do not lie. If you see any of the four warning signs listed above, it might be time to take a long, hard look at your mystery shopping service and decide if they are doing your business more harm than good.
You receive requests for score changes from more than 2% of shops
If managers cannot believe the information the service provides them, they are not going to put it to use. You may see requests for score changes for any number of reasons - flat denials of information provided by mystery shoppers, avowals that an employee mentioned in the report no longer works there, etc. These requests can skew the data and render its value questionable.
Improved scores bear no relation to the opinions of your customers
If find that there is a lot of difference between what you see in your customer service data and what you are hearing from your mystery shopping service, then you should probably look closely at both sets of data. You will also need to evaluate how you are using this information and how each relates to the other. For instance, if you are seeing a significant improvement in your mystery shopping data but not hearing the same thing from your customers, then you might need to take a look at whether your mystery shoppers are genuinely qualified and whether they are correctly assessing things based on the criteria they should be using. If your program is working properly, the data they give you should mirror what you hear from your customers and vice versa.
Your managers are talking to each other about issues with the program
For a mystery shopping program to be effective, it requires buy in from store managers and staff. If store managers are gossiping amongst themselves about how the program is not working, you've got a problem. Frontline staff will quickly catch on, and the detrimental 'trickle down' affect will soon be obvious.
You are hearing entirely too much talk about credibility
Naturally, credibility is incredibly important. However, if the mystery shopping service throws the word around like it is going out of style, you may need to ask them if:
a) they understand what credibility means
b) if credibility is genuinely the highest priority of the company and its employees
c) if everyone agrees that anything less than credible is completely unacceptable
A truly credible mystery shopping program should use objective criteria (which should be transparent to you as a client) and provide you with raw data, since the numbers do not lie. If you see any of the four warning signs listed above, it might be time to take a long, hard look at your mystery shopping service and decide if they are doing your business more harm than good.
About the Author:
Looking For The Best Customer Experience Management? Then Visit ICC/Decision Services To Find Out How Mystery Shopping Companies Can Help.
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