The concept is simple: a person is hired and paid to pose as an ordinary customer and test the quality of the service provided by the company. This technique is often used in the restaurant, hotel, sales, and service sectors. Mystery shopping is a highly effective marketing technique for improving a company's service quality.
Mystery shoppers, also called “secret shoppers,” can help businesses highlight weaknesses in customer service and quickly correct them. They can also be used to check that company policies are being properly applied by employees and that quality standards are being met through in-house surveys.
By becoming a mystery shopper, the professional who shops in secret has the opportunity to give their opinion on the quality of service offered by the company. This will then help improve customer service and contribute to the company's growth.
The role of mystery shoppers is crucial to companies’ customer experience management, enabling them to ensure that their employees are delivering quality service. In return, companies can offer benefits such as refunds for services purchased or discounts on products.
To become a mystery shopper, it’s often necessary to register with a specialized agency or online platform. These agencies provide detailed instructions on how to carry out a mystery-shopping assignment, forms to fill in to report the results, and information on the remuneration and benefits on offer, such as earning money or getting free meals, products, or services.
It’s important to stress that the role of mystery shopper involves a great deal of responsibility. It’s essential to respect the established rules and protocols to avoid distorting the results. The mystery shopper’s comments and observations must be objective, precise, and constructive, to help the company improve the quality of its customer service.
Mystery shopping is an effective strategy for improving a company’s service quality and customer relations, while enabling candidates to earn extra income or discover new places and experiences.
This role has existed for a very long time and is still proving its worth today. This technique can also be used in ecommerce to test the quality of an online shop’s services, customer experience, and responsiveness of after-sales service.
