US Government Uses Mystery Shopping to Ensure Compliance
August 11, 2010
In two recent cases, the U.S. government used mystery shopping techniques to audit what individual consumers were told during one-on-one interactions. These cases highlight the consequences of giving inaccurate or incomplete information to customers. Auditing the information given to customers could have perhaps helped these companies avoid the costly consequences of wrongdoing or unintentional misrepresentation.
Updated! FTC Issues Warning About Mystery Shopping Scams
August 5, 2010We have been notified that current fake letters to consumers list these phone numbers: 888-228-3460, 888-239-1660 or 877-594-6794. Please read the following blog post for information on how to report a scam if you receive a fake letter or fake check. Do not deposit these checks!
The JetBlue Example: Are Your Employees Preparing to Slide Down the Chute?
August 3, 2010By now, everyone has heard the story about the JetBlue Flight attendant who became frustrated with a passenger, expressed his anger over the public address system, and exited the plane via the emergency chute. While it’s still not clear what exactly transpired on the plane, one thing that is clear is that many took his side, despite his bizarre actions. Why did people praise his behavior? Is it that airline customers empathize with airline travel stress, since they know firsthand the stress and overcrowding of many flights? ABCs of an Effective Mystery Shopping Program
July 22, 2010
A: Allow time for consideration of mystery shop goals, survey question details and possible scenarios during the set up of a new mystery shopping program .B: Build on the information that you gain from your mystery shops so that you can improve and redirect your program periodically.
C: Customize your mystery shopper survey to reflect your firm’s unique service and sales priorities.
What Would You Do With This Mystery Shopper Feedback?
July 15, 2010
Mystery shop results help you understand, in detail, how your locations perform in terms of appearance, timeliness, and customer engagement through greeting, customer service and sales behaviors, product knowledge, friendliness and other factors. The results also provide invaluable information through mystery shopper comments. Open-ended comments reflect mystery shopper observations about what they saw and heard during the mystery shop visit. They include details that explain a low-scored area or in-depth comments on overall impressions about the visit.
In two recent cases, the U.S. government used mystery shopping techniques to audit what individual consumers were told during one-on-one interactions. These cases highlight the consequences of giving inaccurate or incomplete information to customers. Auditing the information given to customers could have perhaps helped these companies avoid the costly consequences of wrongdoing or unintentional misrepresentation. 
By now, everyone has heard the story about the JetBlue Flight attendant who became frustrated with a passenger, expressed his anger over the public address system, and exited the plane via the emergency chute. While it’s still not clear what exactly transpired on the plane, one thing that is clear is that many took his side, despite his bizarre actions. Why did people praise his behavior? Is it that airline customers empathize with airline travel stress, since they know firsthand the stress and overcrowding of many flights? 
A: Allow time for consideration of mystery shop goals, survey question details and possible scenarios during the set up of a new 
Mystery shop results help you understand, in detail, how your locations perform in terms of appearance, timeliness, and customer engagement through greeting, customer service and sales behaviors, product knowledge, friendliness and other factors. The results also provide invaluable information through mystery shopper comments. Open-ended comments reflect mystery shopper observations about what they saw and heard during the mystery shop visit. They include details that explain a low-scored area or in-depth comments on overall impressions about the visit.