Mystery shopping: what it is and how it works.

A technique for observing service quality through the experience of an unidentifiable customer or user.

A trained assessor follows an agreed scenario, interacts with the organisation as an ordinary customer and documents their observations. The visit may include requests for information, purchases or trials of the service.

What it reveals

Welcoming manner, attentiveness, expertise, clarity of the proposal, handling of difficulties and adherence to standards: the aspects assessed depend on the project’s objectives.

From observation to improvement

The results help to identify training needs, service shortcomings and differences between locations. They can support comparison against standards and, where specified in the project, benchmarking.

How to interpret the results

Mystery shopping provides evidence regarding the incidents observed. The number of visits, scenarios and criteria must be tailored to the objective: the score for a single visit does not, on its own, represent the entire experience of all customers.

Discover the methodology View a sample report

Mystery shopping and customer satisfaction: what’s changing?

Mystery shopping gathers observations through scenarios and criteria established prior to the experience. A customer satisfaction survey, on the other hand, gathers the feedback expressed by customers. The two perspectives can be complementary: one describes the service observed, the other the satisfaction expressed.

Who carries out the mystery visit?

A mystery shopper who is briefed on the project and fits the required profile. They must follow the scenario, adhere to the instructions and distinguish facts from personal impressions.

What is the purpose of a mystery shopping checklist?

Make the aspects to be observed and the criteria for recording them explicit. Clear, context-relevant questions help to gather comparable data. The checklists are reviewed prior to analysis.

In-store applications · Applications in the hospitality sector · Online applications

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