Have you ever heard of Secret Shoppers? These are people who visit stores, restaurants, hotels, or even call customer service without revealing who they are. Their job is to check the quality of service, cleanliness, and overall experience. Businesses hire secret shopper companies to find out what customers really think.
What Do Secret Shopper Companies Do?
Secret shopper companies send trained shoppers to act like real customers. They visit businesses, ask questions, buy products, or order food. Then, they report back on their experience. This helps businesses see what is working and what needs to change.
Why Are Secret Shoppers Important?
✅ Improve Customer Service – Businesses can fix problems and train staff better.
✅ Check Employee Performance – See if employees follow company rules.
✅ Ensure Cleanliness – A clean store or restaurant makes a big difference!
✅ Test Prices & Promotions – Make sure discounts and deals are correct.
✅ Find Hidden Issues – Some problems only customers notice.
Evaluating Secret Shopper Companies
· Know What You Want to Improve
Many businesses want to improve customer experience (CX), but it’s better to be more specific. Ask yourself:
- Do you want to measure staff performance?
- Are you checking checkout speed, returns, or online orders?
- Do you need to see if employees follow company policies?
- What customer service issues do you want to fix?
Having clear goals helps secret shopper companies customize the evaluation to your needs.
- Identify Shoppers Network :
When a secret shopper company starts, they send shoppers to evaluate businesses. It’s important for businesses to think about the company’s network of shoppers. A good network has:
- Reliable, skilled shoppers who know the industry.
- Clear communication and reporting systems.
- A variety of shoppers that match different customer groups.
- Access to many locations where businesses are found.
These qualities help the company evaluate customer experiences better. When they have strong staff and can handle different demographics and places, they give businesses useful data to improve.
- Examine their reporting tools:
Good data is important for any customer experience (CX) program, but if the reports are hard to understand, they aren’t helpful. When businesses choose a secret shopper company, they should look for one with strong reporting tools.
Businesses can ask for sample reports to see how the company presents data. Here’s what to look for:
- Clear advice that shows how to improve.
- Easy-to-understand charts or graphs.
- Detailed but simple feedback for the team.
By reviewing sample reports, businesses can learn if the company is a good fit before signing a contract.
- Categorize Compliance and Confidentiality:
When businesses choose secret shopper companies, they need to make sure the company keeps information safe and follows the rules. Secret shopping deals with private details, so it’s important to protect them.
For example, if a business wants to check if their stores are following age laws, they need a secret shopper company that keeps things secure. If the company can’t do that, how can they trust the information?
It’s better for businesses to work with secret shopper companies that care about keeping things private and following the rules.
- Check for references and case studies:
When businesses want to hire secret shopper companies, they should ask for references and case studies that show how successful the company has been with past projects. This helps businesses see how the company handles its work, like evaluations, communication, and plans. Reviews can also show how customers felt, whether good or bad.
Secret shopper companies that are ready to provide references and case studies are more likely to give good service to new clients.
- Assess Value for Money:
A good customer experience (CX) program is very valuable, but some secret shopper companies might cause more problems than they solve. That’s why it’s important to think about the cost and return on investment (ROI) when choosing a CX partner.
Even though it’s an investment, a good secret shopper company will help businesses make back the cost by improving customer loyalty, increasing sales, and fixing service problems. A reliable company will also show how they’ve helped other businesses succeed, giving new clients confidence that they can do the same.
· Decide How Involved You Want to Be:
Some businesses prefer to let the secret shopper company handle everything. Others want to stay involved and review details closely. Think about:
- Should evaluations happen in one location or across multiple cities?
- How often do you want to conduct mystery shopping? Once a year, every quarter, or monthly?
- Do you want detailed reports or just quick insights?
If you don’t have all the answers yet, that’s okay! But knowing your main priorities helps ensure your secret shopper program matches your business needs.
How Incognito Mystery Shopping Can Help
At Incognito Mystery Shopping Consultancy, we tailor our evaluations in all sectors such as retails, real estate business, airlines, hotels, hospitals helping them to achieve their goals. Whether you need staff performance checks, compliance audits, or service quality reviews, we provide real insights that help you improve fast.