Mystery Shopping: The Watchful Eye

By: Raymond Murry

What is a mystery shopper exactly? What do they do? Why does their position exist? These are all questions that the average customer wonders about when they hear the words “Mystery Shopping”. By basic definition, mystery shopping is a way of measuring the consumer experience by employing pre-qualified individuals to act as discreet customers of a certain brand or industry. In short, they’re patrons that are, COVERT. (Sorry, had to do it.)

The usage of mystery shoppers was popularized in the 1940’s as a way to measure employee integrity. The tools used include questionnaires, surveys, and more recently full on audio and video recordings of employee-consumer interactions.

Organizations worldwide use this resource as a means of getting detailed statistics about their companies. This can span multiple industries including, retail, government, transportation, and other like entities.

So if you work in an industry where customer service is key, like a restaurant, a retailer, or even an AIRPORT be aware, there may be eyes watching.

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