Don’t use mystery shoppers to spy on yourself; it’s all a game of Chinese whispers. If you bring a person into your store using financial incentives, you aren’t going to get your hands on anything real. When we say “real”, we mean real feedback from your real customers. It is what allows you to learn from your mistakes and improve your business; it is the legendary key to sustained success everyone is desperately looking for. Still not convinced about the shortcomings of mystery shoppers? Read on, please.
A mystery shopper is basically someone or some company you hire to behave like a customer and get reports about certain details in their fake customer experience. Here is what typically happens with them:
Basically, if you aren’t using mystery shoppers to spy on your competition, you’re doing it wrong. Their insights can be limited, yet very enlightening about your rival companies. However, when it comes to yourself, you need the voice of real customers. Strangers shouldn’t be the deciding factor. Feedback from using mystery shoppers on your business will give birth to misinformed opinions. And misinformed opinions mean mistaken decisions; mistaken decisions will drag any establishment’s performance down. So, drop it.
How can you assess your business then? There are other effective ways like our in-store survey kiosks and QR codes provided at restaurant tables or in hotel rooms. Here’s how you win with Pisano’s solutions, all points proven by experience and actual data:
Some of our clients like McDonald’s and BP have decided to discontinue their mystery shopper practices in the near future. Just like them, don’t work with perceptions; you can access real customer insights and create strong action plans. Alter your market research methods and put more emphasis on your real clients. As Pisano, we are looking forward to help you create your own success story.