When I tell friends that I work for a firm that provides mystery shopping services, I am surprised by the responses. They are intrigued with the idea of mystery shopping and want to become mystery shoppers themselves. Most have experienced positive and negative interactions in buying situations and have wanted to convey feedback on their experiences.

Aside from an interest in secret shopping on a personal level, the average consumer does not think about why companies choose a secret shopping service as a way to measure the customer experience . Consider the goals of those companies that use them:

-Deliver excellent customer service consistently. Most companies do not have the ability to monitor employee service behaviors on a day-to -day basis. As managers review mystery shop reports over time, they gain insight on how employees are living up to company service expectations. They can use this ongoing information to ensure that they give their employees the right tools and coaching to provide great service on a regular basis.

-Expect a high level of customer service from every employee. In a company with a well-run mystery shopping program , employees know that managers will commend those employees who perform well when shopped, and work toward improvement with those who don’t make the grade. Mystery shops contain specific behavior expectations for each position type, making them a great way for companies to move all employees to the same level of customer service delivery.

For companies that set goals like these and work hard to meet them, mystery shop programs are well worth exploring.