What makes a great mystery shopping provider so ‘great’?
Great mystery shopping providers really make a difference, but what makes them so special and why should you choose one over the other? The question that needs to be asked is what are you looking for in a mystery shopping company that would make it a ‘great’ choice for you?
Mystery shopping programs are tailored and customized to the needs of the company rolling it out. This means that there are elements unique to your business that other businesses, even in the same industry, may not need to think about. It’s important to highlight these unique areas to any mystery shopping provider. Any program you want to run will need to meet your requirements and give you the data insights that will actually help you make a difference; great mystery shopping companies should be able to deliver great data.
So, let’s air it out, what makes a great mystery shopping company great?
1. Adaptability
Any mystery shopping provider should be able to adapt to your needs and requirements for data and have the flexibility to think outside of the box if that’s what your company needs. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ mystery shopping program, because every business, product, service, and industry varies.
2. Industry knowledge and awareness suited to your specifications
Speaking of industry variances, it’s always best to aim for a mystery shopping provider that has some experience with your specific industry, that will save both you and them time in putting together a mystery shopping program that will deliver what you need.
3. Experience putting together mystery shopping programs (obviously!)
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This speaks for itself, doesn’t it? While there are certainly a few mystery shopping providers out there that are in their infancy, having just come into the mystery shopping game, most providers will have some experience under their belt. It’s important for your business to know how much and whether the breadth and length of that experience plays a role in the way in which a mystery shopping provider will deal with your program.
4. Clear and useful communication
This is one of those things that can make or break any business relation – or personal relationship for that matter! – no matter what industry. It’s important for you to communicate clearly with your mystery shopping provider, and for them to lay it out for you in a way that you understand as well. Specialists, whether mystery shopping or finance or any kind of specialist companies, will often have terminology and jargon that they use without thinking – it’s important for you, as the client, to know what those terms mean so there are no misunderstandings. Communication is a two-way street, after all, so be sure you’re asking questions and clarifying areas when and where you need to.
5. Delivery of useful, insightful, and actionable data.
The key to any mystery shopping program is to give you insight into areas in your business that might need some added attention – as well as highlight those things that are running really well, of course. A great mystery shopping provider will give you great insights because they’ve put together a great mystery shopping program.
Every service, whether it’s an accounting firm or a plumber, should be counted on to deliver great service, so let’s just assume that’s something we’re all looking for in a great mystery shopping provider too.
What makes a great mystery shopping provider great? In a nutshell, the answer is all about teamwork – the collaboration between you, their client, and them, the provider, is the primary thing that will give you a great mystery shopping program that you can really do something with.
